During the November 6, 2025, Oval Office press conference, Dr. Mehmet Oz stated that Americans could collectively lose 135 billion pounds by the 2026 midterms thanks to the new deals making GLP‑1 weight-loss drugs more affordable. That would have implied roughly 400 pounds per person across the U.S. population — an obviously enormous number. He later clarified in an interview that he meant 135 million pounds, calling the billion-pound estimate a slip-up, and noted that his initial reference of 125 million pounds came from company projections. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had previously projected a more modest 125 million pounds of collective weight loss.
This event coincided with President Trump announcing price cuts for GLP‑1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound from over $1,000 to as low as $149 per month for Medicare/Medicaid users, with executives from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk present. The conference even paused briefly when a Novo Nordisk executive fainted.
While the White House frames these numbers as a national health triumph — potentially preventing obesity-related illnesses and saving billions in healthcare costs — the broader issue remains: the two-tier system still privileges those with insurance or wealth, while leaving millions without coverage or resources behind. The projected weight loss is a headline grabber, but it doesn’t resolve the structural inequities in American nutrition and healthcare access.
Weightloss, The Math, the Messaging, and the Missing Piece
During the November 6, 2025, Oval Office press conference, Dr. Mehmet Oz stated that Americans could collectively lose 135 billion pounds by the 2026 midterms thanks to the new deals making GLP‑1 weight-loss drugs more affordable. That would have implied roughly 400 pounds per person across the U.S. population — an obviously enormous number. He later clarified in an interview that he meant 135 million pounds, calling the billion-pound estimate a slip-up, and noted that his initial reference of 125 million pounds came from company projections. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had previously projected a more modest 125 million pounds of collective weight loss.
This event coincided with President Trump announcing price cuts for GLP‑1 drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound from over $1,000 to as low as $149 per month for Medicare/Medicaid users, with executives from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk present. The conference even paused briefly when a Novo Nordisk executive fainted.
While the White House frames these numbers as a national health triumph — potentially preventing obesity-related illnesses and saving billions in healthcare costs — the broader issue remains: the two-tier system still privileges those with insurance or wealth, while leaving millions without coverage or resources behind. The projected weight loss is a headline grabber, but it doesn’t resolve the structural inequities in American nutrition and healthcare access.
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