International, National & Minnesota Report
Yes, we were as surprised as anyone to find ourselves agreeing—wholeheartedly—with Donald J. Trump (R) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) on a key issue: the outrageous cost of prescription drugs in the United States.
Trump’s recent executive order tying U.S. drug prices to the lowest prices paid in any foreign country was a long-overdue move in the right direction. And it’s something both he and RFK Jr. have hammered on repeatedly: Big Pharma’s chokehold on American consumers has to end.
For years, pharmaceutical companies have cut sweetheart deals with foreign governments—often selling life-saving medications to Canadians, Brits, and Germans at a fraction of what Americans pay. Then, to make up the difference, they jack up prices here at home. That’s not capitalism. That’s extortion.
Let’s call it what it is: an international cost-shifting scam, with the U.S. taxpayer footing the bill.
This executive order isn’t a silver bullet, but it’s a solid first shot. That said, we believe there’s another front in this war on Big Pharma that remains largely untouched—and ripe for action: the advertising dollars fueling the industry’s dominance.
Revisiting the Real Origins of Pharma’s Media Power
To understand how we got here, a little history lesson is in order.
In 1983, the FDA imposed a moratorium on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription drugs on TV and radio. The reason? Concern over how complex risk disclosures could be responsibly communicated in such formats. After all, it’s easy to list side effects in fine print on a magazine page—not so easy during a 30-second commercial sandwiched between game shows and soap operas.
But in 1985, the FDA lifted that moratorium—essentially declaring that the same rules applied to broadcast as they did to print. Then, in 1997, the rules were loosened even further. Instead of listing every risk on-air, drug companies could simply direct viewers to a website or toll-free number for more info. That move opened the floodgates.
Since then, pharmaceutical companies have become one of the biggest buyers of ad time on American television. Turn on your TV and you’ll see it: smiling seniors playing pickleball, young moms cured of migraines, happy couples embracing on a sunset beach—all brought to you by companies charging $600 for insulin and $2,000 for inhalers.
Want to Hurt Big Pharma’s Influence? Take Away Their Megaphone
If Trump—and RFK Jr, for that matter—want to cripple the pharmaceutical-industrial complex, there’s a powerful tool at their disposal: cut off their advertising cash.
The media’s biggest secret is this: They depend on pharma dollars. News networks, streaming platforms, even major magazines—all of them rely heavily on the rivers of ad revenue pouring in from drug companies. Want to know why you rarely see critical coverage of Big Pharma in mainstream media? That’s why.
By reinstating the ban on television and radio pharmaceutical advertising, Trump wouldn’t just be taking a bite out of Pharma’s profits—he’d be pulling the rug out from under a media ecosystem that profits from silence. He wouldn’t just disrupt a revenue stream; he’d blow a hole in the carefully constructed wall of pharmaceutical PR that shields the industry from scrutiny.
A Political Win, A Policy Win, and A Populist Slam Dunk
It’s rare to see Trump and RFK Jr aligned, but this issue hits squarely at the populist sweet spot: ordinary Americans being exploited by powerful corporations and a complicit media.
Slashing drug prices and eliminating pharma advertising are not just good politics—they’re the moral, economic, and constitutional high ground. It’s time both parties stopped talking and started acting.
Because when a bottle of insulin costs more than a month’s rent, and drug ads outnumber real news segments on TV, we’re not just dealing with a health crisis—we’re dealing with a failure of leadership.
Let’s see who has the guts to fix it.