Trumpās Tariff Tango: From 100% Drug Taxes to Friendly Pharma Deals
On Sept. 25, during Taylor Budowich's farewell party (because White House chaos needs a soundtrack), Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, fresh from heavy trucks and furniture tariff talks, slid into the Oval Office to pitch a 100% tariff on imported drugs. At 7:24 p.m., Trump dropped the bombshell on Truth Social, blindsiding Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and surgeon-turned-Medicare-Oz who, without a heads-up, screamed internally 'What the f**k?'. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, whoās auditioning for referee of this tariff rumble, made Lutnick eat his mistakes faster than Pfizer and AstraZeneca can say 'most favored nation pricing.' Meanwhile, the UKās AstraZeneca agreed to open a plant in Virginia well before Trumpās tariff tantrum, proving tariffs are like bad party favorsāuseless but memorable. Lutnickās awkward boasting about Jeffrey Epstein, calling him āthe greatest blackmailer everā, was the cherry on top of Trumpās unpredictable pharma soap opera.
Share the Story
Trumpās 100% tariff on imported drugs was less a policy and more a Twitter temper tantrum causing panic among Kennedy, Oz, and Pfizerābecause nothing says āPrime Time Governanceā like blindsiding your own pharma negotiators mid-farewell party.
Howard Lutnick playing pharma gatekeeper while bragging about Epstein? White House stability is now a Walmart shelf in a hurricane.
Tariffs? Tariff-uhs? More like Tariff-you-did-what? Trumpās pharma plan pivot involved more plot twists than a daytime soap opera.
Source: Axios | Published: 10/12/2025 | Author: Marc Caputo
More Articles in Politics
Senateās Weekend Homework: Ending Shutdown Like Itās Rocket Science
Trumpās $2K Tariff Gift: Debt Slashing or Legal Dumpster Fire?
Trumpās $2,000 Tariff Giveaway ā Except If Youāre Rich, Obviously
Shutdown Blocks $5B WeaponsāNATO Left Holding Missiles
BBC Edits Trump Speech Like Prison Riot Director
