--- title: "White House Pushes Back Against Claim That Trump Was Given Early Access to a Powerful Experimental Weight Loss Drug" description: "According to president Donald Trump's annual medical exam, results of which were released last month, the 80-year-old's body mass index is close to the threshold for clinical obesity. His doctor has also recommended more exercise and wean off his daily…" date: "2026-06-23" modified: "2026-06-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/trump-early-access-weight-loss-drug" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Treatments" --- # White House Pushes Back Against Claim That Trump Was Given Early Access to a Powerful Experimental Weight Loss Drug ![A photo illustration composite featuring a photo graph of U.S. President Donald Trump superimposed over a GLP-1 pen.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images; Shutterstock* According to president Donald Trump's annual medical exam, results of which were released last month, the 80-year-old's body mass index is close to the threshold for clinical obesity. His doctor has also recommended more exercise and wean off his daily aspirin intake. The president's health has long been a source of rampant speculation, from theories that he had [suffered a stroke]() earlier this year to [mysterious bruising on both of his hands](), which the White House dismissed as being the result of "shaking hands all day every day." Trump also is known to have a strong preference for fast food and has an "[absurd]()" 2,430-calorie McDonald's order. Now, [*Stat* is reporting]() that a single unidentified man, who was 79 years old back in April, gained access to a still-unapproved weight loss drug called retatrutide before anybody else — and while the publication was unable to confirm his actual identity, circumstantial evidence makes it hard to ignore the possibility that it could have been president Trump, who turned 80 on June 14. According to *Stat*'s sources, the case "drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the person receiving the drug was well connected." The patient gained access to the drug through the FDA's "compassionate use" program, which is usually reserved for patients with serious and life-threatening medical issues, per *Stat*. Adding to the intrigue, the White House's Health and Human Services department was strangely vague and never outright denied the theory when *Stat* reached out. After the story came out, though, White House spokesperson Kush Desai stridently refuted the suggestion, [writing]() that "this application was not for the President." Retatrutide, which was developed by drugmaker Eli Lilly, is being [touted]() as the "next generation in the GLP-1 craze." Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) are a class of medications that include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic) and tirzepatide (sold as Zepbound). The treatments have been shown to not only treat Type 2 diabetes, but effectively promote weight loss as well, along with a [constellation of other health benefits](). Retatrutide has yet to be deemed safe and effective by the FDA, despite [being for sale on the internet]() through sketchy online vendors. However, Eli Lilly released promising trial results in March, claiming patients lost an [average 28 percent of their weight over 80 weeks]() while on the drug, approaching the effectiveness of far more invasive bariatric surgery. According to *Stat*, the mysterious recipient of the drug had previously been treated with tirzepatide for at least a year, but experienced "only moderate weight loss." While we don't have confirmation of the mystery patient being the president, there is precedent: Trump previously was one of the first to receive an antibody treatment from a company called Regeneron after contracting the virus that causes COVID-19. Adding further credence to the theory, Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks has a comfortable relationship with Trump and [attended]() a glitzy dinner at the president's Mar-a-Lago residence. In January, [*Politico* reported]() that Ricks was "putting on a masterclass" in trying to get on Trump's good side, with the president gushing that Ricks is an "unbelievable executive, an unbelievable guy, one of the most successful companies." Experts were surprised Eli Lilly had approved usage of the drug through FDA's compassionate use program for a single patient. Usually, a much larger cohort of patients is part of such a program. "If you really were trying to treat obesity in people who can't use the products that are out there, why would you go the single patient route?" New York University health ethicist Alison Bateman-House told *Stat*. "It's like saying we have all these people who need to get from New York to DC, and rather than chartering a bus,we're going to tell everyone that they need to drive their own car." *Updated to include a response from a White House spokesperson.* **More on GLP-1s:** [*GLP-1 Drugs Appear to Prevent Cancer, New Research Finds*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()