Trump Roasts 'Very Obese' Friend on Weight-Loss Drug: 'It's Not Working. You Look Like S***'

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is facing fresh criticism this week after publicly mocking a close friend's weight and the apparent failure of his weight-loss medication. During a Rose Garden event for Republican lawmakers, Trump recounted a conversation with an unnamed "very obese" friend who had complained about the cost of what the president called "the fat drug".

"A friend of mine — very, very heavy, he's a very obese person — I said, 'You're an extremely obese person,'" Trump recalled. When the friend confirmed he was taking the medication, Trump delivered his verdict: "I said, 'It's not working. You look like s*'"**.

The comment drew laughter from the Republican audience — but the backlash online was immediate.

The Story Behind the Insult

Trump has been telling versions of this story for over a year. The unnamed friend is described as a "very, very, very top guy" — a brilliant Wall Street businessman worth "hundreds of millions, billions of dollars" who regularly travels between New York and London.

The core of the anecdote is a complaint about drug pricing. According to Trump, his friend called him from London, shocked to discover he had paid just $87** for his weight-loss medication there, compared to **$1,300 for the identical drug — made in the same plant by the same company — in New York.

Trump used the story to attack Big Pharma, arguing that Americans were being systematically overcharged. "They've been justifying this crap for years," Trump said of pharmaceutical companies. "They said, 'Oh, it's research and development.' I said, 'Well, research and development, other countries should pay research and development too'".

After a half-hour argument with a drug company executive, Trump claimed the executive finally conceded: "Look, you got me. I can no longer justify [the price difference]".

The story has become a recurring talking point in Trump's push to lower prescription drug costs. In November 2025, his administration announced that Ozempic prices would drop from over $1,000 to **$350** per month through TrumpRx.

Who Is the Mystery Friend?

The president has refused to name his friend, claiming the man begged him not to because it would "destroy his reputation".

But that hasn't stopped the internet from speculating. The most popular theory points to Elon Musk, who has publicly admitted to using weight-loss drugs like Mounjaro and famously dubbed himself "Ozempic Santa".

When X users asked Musk's AI chatbot Grok to identify the friend, it responded that Trump was "likely referring to Elon Musk, given Musk's public use of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and his global business profile".

However, Grok also hedged, noting that the "seriously overweight" description didn't "perfectly match Musk's public image".

Others have floated names like billionaire Leon Black. Some simply believe the friend is fictional — a storytelling device to illustrate Trump's policy points.

The Irony Critics Can't Ignore

The president's weight-loss jab has drawn accusations of hypocrisy and bullying. Critics were quick to point out that Trump himself has long struggled with his own weight. According to White House medical records, Trump's BMI is 29.7 — at the top of the "overweight" category and just shy of the 30 threshold that defines obesity.

Trump's diet has also been a topic of public discussion. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told podcaster Katie Miller: "The interesting thing about the president is that he eats really bad food, which is McDonald's, and, you know, candy and Diet Coke. I don't know how he's alive, but he is".

The book Regime Change by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan described Trump leaving "an array of empty potato chip bags, Starburst wrappers and ice cream cartons in the trash or on the floor" at the White House.

One social media user wrote: "His self-projection is unlike anything I've ever seen. He'll be studied in every psychology and psychiatry course from now till eternity".

Another added: "That's what we want to hear from the President of the United States. Thank you, Mr. Donald Trump, for making things better by telling us about your fat friend that looks terrible".

Vance's Awkward Clarification

The president's repeated references to a "fat friend" have become so frequent that Vice President J.D. Vance felt compelled to clarify that he is not the man in question.

At a Cabinet meeting where Trump retold the story, Vance interrupted. "He's not talking about me," he said, earning laughter from the room.

Trump has repeated the anecdote for months — in May 2025 with Sean Hannity, again in January 2026, and now in September 2026. The timeline raises questions: if the friend has been on a GLP-1 drug since 2025, why would he still be "fatter than ever"? By contrast, studies show the average weight loss after six months on Ozempic is around 27 pounds.

What the Graphic Gets Right — and Wrong

The viral image accurately captures Trump's blunt style and the core anecdote: the president roasting a wealthy friend for the ineffectiveness of his weight-loss drug. The quote — "It's not working. You look like s***" — is real and was delivered by Trump on September 2, 2026.

The Bottom Line

President Trump's brutal takedown of his "very obese" friend is the latest chapter in a story he has been telling for over a year — part policy pitch, part personal insult, and part viral spectacle. While the drug-pricing disparity he highlighted remains a real issue, the personal jab has drawn criticism from those who view it as bullying — especially given Trump's own well-documented struggles with weight.

As for the unnamed friend? If he exists, he has chosen to stay in the shadows rather than risk his reputation. The internet, however, will continue to play detective.