President Donald Trump addressed affordability and lowering drug prices while also giving updates on Operation Epic Fury, as he visited a plant in a Cincinnati suburb on Wednesday.
The president called the military’s efforts in Iran “unbelievable” and noted they are “way ahead of schedule” in the operation.
The United States, as well as “the rest of the world,” had to “suffer 47 bad years” under the regime, he said. “Let’s see what happens to them,” Trump added of the new Iranian leadership.
When it comes to the effects of the conflict, Trump also noted the market is doing well and was hit “probably a little bit less” than he thought. He sought to reassure Americans that prices are coming down “very substantially” and that the price of oil will decrease as well.
The president described the situation in Iran multiple times as an “excursion.” When pressed for clarity by Fox News’ Peter Doocy on whether the operation is a war or an excursion, Trump explained that it’s both.
“It’s an excursion that will keep us out of a war,” Trump said, adding that “for [Iran] it’s a war, for us it turned out to be easier than we thought.”
The president also likened the strikes against Iranian leadership to blowing up drug boats, though he noted such operations are “easier” on land than water.
As Trump toured a drug development and manufacturing plant for Thermo Fisher Scientific, he was joined by Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz. He brought up the Most Favored Nation drug pricing status that Trump secured.
Trump explained he used the threat of “very substantial” tariffs to get other countries on board, with the United States now being tied for the lowest drug prices.
“I guess other administrations tried. They’re not that competent. Or they didn’t try at all,” Trump said.
The region is represented by Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, who is running in a closely watched race in the 2026 midterms.
Landsman posted to X an open letter he authored before Trump’s visit about the “relief” that Ohio families need. “We are decent, hardworking people who care about one another. We don’t like the chaos. We hate the corruption in Washington. We don’t like the cruelty,” he wrote in the open letter published on Cincinnati.com.
The president addressed drug prices during his State of the Union last month, mentioning Trump Rx, a direct-to-consumer drug site.
Trump also appeared in Hebron, Kentucky, with a message on affordability. The district is represented by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who is facing a Trump-endorsed primary challenger, Ed Gallrein.