Trump Says He Forced Macron to Act on Drug Prices With Tariff Threat
The US president claims the tariff warning pushed France to reconsider drug pricing amid his push for lower American costs.
US President Donald Trump claimed on December 23, 2025, that he successfully pressured French President Emmanuel Macron to raise drug prices in France by threatening to impose a 25% tariff on all French goods exported to the United States. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the 79-year-old Republican recounted the exchange he had previously described at a rally on Friday, framing it as a key victory in his ongoing push to lower prescription drug costs for American consumers.
Trump recounted the conversation in characteristic detail, imitating Macron's voice as he described the French leader's initial resistance: "Emmanuel, you have to raise your drug prices," Trump said he told Macron. "He said, 'No, no, no, we will not do that.' I said, 'You have to.'" According to Trump, Macron continued to push back until the American president escalated with the tariff threat: "If you don't do it, I'm going to put a 25 percent tariff on everything France sells into the United States of America." Trump concluded that Macron relented, saying, "You're going to do it 100 percent. Please accept it now. Be nice."
The anecdote comes amid Trump's repeated calls for European countries to increase pharmaceutical prices to align more closely with those in the US, arguing that American consumers subsidize lower costs abroad through high domestic prices. The president has long criticized what he views as unfair pricing practices by European nations and pharmaceutical companies, and he has frequently used tariff threats as leverage in trade and policy negotiations during his presidency.
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French officials have not publicly confirmed or commented on the alleged conversation or any agreement to raise drug prices. The claim highlights Trump's continued use of aggressive trade tactics to advance domestic priorities, even as it risks straining relations with key European allies. The story, shared twice in quick succession, underscores the president's confidence in his personal diplomacy and tariff strategy as effective tools for achieving economic and policy goals.
As the US continues to grapple with high prescription drug costs—one of the highest in the developed world—Trump's remarks are likely to fuel ongoing debates over international pricing disparities, pharmaceutical industry practices, and the use of trade measures to address domestic challenges.
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