Donald Trump Pokes Fun at His 'Extremely Obese' Friend Who Had No Luck With Weight-Loss Drugs: 'He's Begging Me Not to Mention His Name'

President Donald Trump told the same story for the umpteenth time at the White House on September 2, reviving the tale of his fat friend who, in his estimation, didn't have success with weight-loss drugs.

"A friend of mine is a very obese person," Trump began. "I said, you're an extremely obese person. He's begging me not to mention his name because I'll destroy his reputation. He had some fat drugs. I said: it's not working — you look like [expletive]."

The story, addressed to swing-district lawmakers at the Rose Garden, is one of Trump's favorites.

In his latest telling of the tale, the man, described as an overweight financier in New York, complains that the price of GLP-1s is high in the United States but much cheaper overseas.

"'You know, Mr. President, I was in London, and I paid $86 for Ozempic, and in New York I pay $1,300 for the same thing,'" Trump recalled him saying.

Trump usually says the weight-loss drugs aren't working for the poor man, but he added the expletive flourish in his most recent telling.

Trump has been telling this story for nearly a year and a half. He first told it in May of 2025. At the time, the story was relevant to him signing an executive order pursuing 'most favored nation' pricing for Americans.

The story has plopped into Trump's remarks, seemingly unprompted, on multiple occasions since. He has told it in January (twice), May and June. His poor friend has been called one of the richest, most powerful men in America, but also "sloppy," a "slob" and "highly neurotic."

Furthermore, Trump insists that his enormous friend hates that he tells the story because, if the man's identity were known, it would ruin him.

The identity of Trump's chubby friend remains a mystery.

Vice President J.D. Vance, who himself has lost a significant amount of weight, has clarified that the story is not about him. Elon Musk and White House Comms Director Steven Cheung are also thought to be potential candidates.

Some have wondered if Trump is secretly talking about himself.

The facts of Trump's story are a bit fudged.

Novo Nordisk lists Ozempic doses at $1,027.51 per month before insurance, shy of Trump's $1,300 figure.

The Trump administration and Novo Nordisk negotiated the price of Ozempic down to $350 through his TrumpRx initiative. TrumpRx launched in February.