RFK Jr. Criticizes AOC and Bernie Sanders, Praises Trump’s Executive Order Targeting Big Pharma
“There has never been a president more willing to stand up to the oligarchs” than President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during Monday morning’s press conference, where Trump signed an executive order to reduce the cost of prescription medications.
Calling it an “extraordinary day,” Kennedy said lowering the cost of prescription drugs is something every major Democrat party leader has promised to do, to no avail.
“This was the fulcrum of Bernie Sanders’ runs for presidency, that he was going to eliminate this discrepancy between Europe and the United States. As it turns out, none of them were doing it. It’s one of these promises that politicians make to their constituents, knowing that they’ll never have to do it,” Kennedy observed, noting that they never do it, in part, because “Congress is controlled in so many ways by the pharmaceutical industry.”
Kennedy explained that big pharma spends “three times what the next-largest lobbyist spends on lobbying.”
“This was an issue that people talked about. Nobody wanted to do anything because it was radioactive. They knew you couldn’t get it by Congress. We now have a president who is a man of his word, who has the courage,” he said, observing that the difference with Trump is, he “can’t be bought, unlike most of the politicians in this country.”
“And he is standing here for the American people. … There’s writers … who are saying that President Trump is on this side of the oligarchs. There has never been a president more willing to stand up to the oligarchs than President Donald Trump,” Kennedy said, telling the president that he is proud of him, lauding his courage for pursuing this.
“I never thought that this would happen in my lifetime. I have a couple of kids who are Democrats, are big Bernie Sanders fans, and when I told them that this was going to happen, they had tears in their eyes. They thought, this is never going to happen in our lifetime. And we finally have a president who’s willing to stand up for the American people,” he added.
The presser follows Trump previewing the executive order on Sunday, announcing that “Prescription Drug and Pharmaceutical prices will be REDUCED, almost immediately, by 30% to 80%.”
WATCH the full presser below:
Calling it an “extraordinary day,” Kennedy emphasized that the cost of prescription drugs has been a recurring promise across many presidential campaigns—especially within the Democratic Party—but often with little result. He referenced past efforts, including those by Senator Bernie Sanders, which highlighted the price disparities between U.S. consumers and their European counterparts.
“Lowering prescription drug prices has been talked about for decades,” Kennedy stated. “But few have taken meaningful steps to challenge the pharmaceutical lobby, which remains one of the most powerful in Washington.” He noted that pharmaceutical companies spend approximately three times more on lobbying than the next largest industry, creating a significant hurdle for reform.
Kennedy praised President Trump for what he described as political courage, asserting that the executive order marks a rare moment where a U.S. president takes on an issue deemed too “radioactive” for most of Congress. “We finally have a leader who is not beholden to special interests, and who is willing to make a move that directly benefits the American people,” he said.
In his announcement, President Trump claimed the new order would immediately lead to a 30% to 80% reduction in drug prices, though the specific mechanisms and long-term effects of the policy remain to be evaluated. The order is expected to apply competitive pricing models similar to those used in other countries, while creating pathways for increased transparency and pricing negotiations between pharmaceutical companies and federal programs like Medicare.
Kennedy also shared a personal reflection, stating that even members of his own family—some of whom support other political figures—were moved by the policy shift. “When I told them this was happening, they were in disbelief. They never thought they’d see something like this in their lifetime,” he said.
The signing of the order represents a broader theme in Trump’s second term, which has focused heavily on trade renegotiations, law enforcement, and domestic economic policy. With prescription drug costs being a top concern among American voters, the administration is likely to position this executive action as a major step toward healthcare affordability.
As the policy is implemented, analysts and critics will be watching closely to see how it impacts drug pricing structures, access to medications, and the broader pharmaceutical market.
