Remarks by President Trump at Whirlpool Corporation Manufacturing Plant
"This may be the last time you’ll see me for a while"
Whirlpool Corporation Manufacturing Plant Clyde, Ohio 3:31 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Please. Thank you very much. It’s a great hono
www.whitehouse.gov
We’re reasserting American economic independence. And I’ve been doing that from the first day I came into office. To this end, a short time ago, I signed the new executive order to ensure that when it comes to essential medicines, we buy American. (Applause.)
The executive order will require that U.S. government agencies purchase all essential medicines that we need from American sources. The executive order will also sweep away unnecessary regulatory barriers to domestic pharmaceutical production and support advanced manufacturing processes that will keep our drug prices low and allow American companies to compete on the world stage. We’ll be able to compete on the world stage, but we’re now going to have the lowest prices, as opposed to, by far, the highest prices.
I have people that I know that go to Canada — they go to Canada to buy drugs. To buy prescription drugs, they go there because the price is so much lower than the United States. And yet, it’s made by the same company, often in the same plant. It’s a disgrace. And the politicians allowed this to happen for many, many decades.
You have people called “middlemen.” I don’t know who the middlemen are. I don’t know. They never say “middlewomen,” so they’re politically not correct. (Laughter.) But I’ve heard the term “middlemen” for a long time. They are so wealthy. They are so wealthy. Nobody has any idea who the hell they are or what they do. They make more money than the drug companies. You know, in all fairness, at least the drug companies have to produce a product, and it has to be good product. But the middlemen — well, the rebate that I’m doing cuts out the middlemen, and it reduces costs, and the money goes back to the people purchasing the drugs.
So I have a lot of enemies out there. This may be the last time you’ll see me for a while. A lot of very, very rich enemies, but they are not happy with what I’m doing. But I figure we have one chance to do it, and no other President is going to do what I do. No other President would do a favored nations, a rebate, a buy from other nations at much less cost. Nobody. And there are a lot of unhappy people, and they’re very rich people, and they’re very unhappy.