In a scene that blended political theater with a dose of nostalgia for pandemic-era anxieties, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took center stage in the Oval Office on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The occasion? The official announcement of TrumpRx, a new prescription drug program promising to shake up the way Americans pay for their medications. But as the president unveiled his latest healthcare initiative, it was an unexpected moment of levity—and a flashback to COVID-19 days—that stole the spotlight.
According to reporting from the Daily Mail, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was caught on camera appearing to covertly pop a nicotine pouch into his mouth while pretending to cough during the high-profile announcement. The move might have gone unnoticed by some, but for others, it was a familiar act, emblematic of a growing trend among Americans—especially teenagers—hooked on nicotine pouches like Zyn. Some users tout these products for their supposed benefits, ranging from increased confidence to improved sexual performance and weight loss, with the cheeky nickname "O-Zyn-pic" making the rounds. Yet, as health experts warn, these pouches come with real risks: nicotine addiction, mouth and gum sores, and even potential heart trouble in young people.
The press conference was already charged with energy, but Kennedy’s well-timed cough—and the sneaky pouch—added a layer of intrigue. Moments later, the event took a comedic turn. As Kennedy sneezed just a foot away from the president, Trump paused his remarks about insulin pricing to quip, "God bless you, Bobby." He followed up with a tongue-in-cheek, "I hope I didn't catch Covid just there," which sent officials and journalists in the room into laughter, as reported by Daily Mail and DailyMail.com.
The exchange didn’t stop there. Trump, ever the showman, turned to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla—present for the announcement—and joked, "Don't you have Paxlovid? He's got Paxlovid. Give me a Paxlovid immediately." Paxlovid, the antiviral medication manufactured by Pfizer for treating COVID-19 in high-risk individuals, became a household name during the pandemic. The president’s joke was a throwback to a tense era when every sneeze or cough could set nerves on edge. It also echoed a memorable moment from March 2020, when Trump famously distanced himself from his health advisor Deborah Birx after she mentioned having a low-grade fever at a press conference. Birx had reassured the room, "I got a test late Saturday night, and I'm negative," to which Trump had breathed a visible sigh of relief: "Phew. Thank you for saying that. Thank you very much."
Now, years after the pandemic, the United States finds itself in a very different place. The COVID-19 scare is firmly in the rearview mirror, but Tuesday’s lighthearted exchange reminded everyone of just how much things have changed. As Daily Mail noted, the joke was a nod to a time when people were nervous to stand too close to each other, wary of catching the virus. Today, Trump’s focus has shifted to a new mission at the Department of Health and Human Services: "Make America Healthy Again."
Central to that mission is the TrumpRx initiative. Announced with Pfizer’s CEO and the president’s top health team at his side, TrumpRx is a website that will allow Americans to buy prescription drugs directly—bypassing the often-confusing world of insurance. The deal’s headline feature: Pfizer will charge "Most Favored Nation" pricing to Medicaid, meaning the U.S. government program for low-income Americans will pay no more than the lowest price offered to other wealthy nations. As DailyMail.com explained, this aims to address a longstanding gripe among Americans—why should people in the U.S. pay more for the same medications than their counterparts abroad?
The details of the deal are still emerging, and questions remain about its impact on those with commercial insurance or on employer-sponsored plans. Drug costs in the United States are notoriously complex, influenced by a web of factors including insurance coverage, negotiations with manufacturers, and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. It’s unclear how Tuesday’s announcement will reverberate through the broader healthcare market, but the symbolism is clear: Trump wants to be seen as the president who finally took on Big Pharma and delivered lower prices for ordinary Americans.
That symbolism was heightened by the presence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a figure who has long been both a critic of the pharmaceutical industry and a source of controversy in public health circles. His appointment as Health Secretary under Trump raised eyebrows, particularly among vaccine advocates, given his history of questioning vaccine safety. Yet, as DailyMail.com observed, Kennedy’s role in the Trump administration signals a dramatic pivot—one that could reshape public health policy in unpredictable ways. Some political observers have even speculated that Trump’s alliance with Kennedy is a strategic move, positioning him as a "wildcard weapon" in the battle to reform America’s health system.
Tuesday’s announcement was also set against a backdrop of escalating trade tensions. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed sector-specific tariffs on imports such as steel, aluminum, and automobiles. Now, he’s threatening a 100-percent tariff on branded pharmaceutical products entering the U.S. from October 1, unless companies build manufacturing plants domestically. The administration, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is allowing negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to play out before making final decisions on these tariffs. The message is clear: Trump wants to force drugmakers to invest in American manufacturing—or face steep penalties.
Meanwhile, the spectacle of the Oval Office press conference—complete with Kennedy’s sly nicotine pouch, Trump’s COVID-tinged jokes, and the presence of Big Pharma’s top executive—highlighted the theatrical side of American politics. As the 2026 midterm elections loom, Trump boasted that his plan to bring down drug prices might prove to be a political winner. "This could help in the 2026 midterm elections," he reportedly said, framing the initiative as both a policy victory and a campaign talking point.
For all the humor and nostalgia, the issues at stake are deeply serious. Americans have long struggled with the high cost of prescription drugs, and any effort to bring those costs down will be closely watched—not just by voters, but by the powerful pharmaceutical industry and its lobbyists. The TrumpRx initiative, with its promise of "Most Favored Nation" pricing and direct-to-consumer sales, represents a bold experiment in healthcare reform. Whether it delivers on its promises remains to be seen.
As the press conference wrapped up and the laughter faded, Americans were left with a new set of questions—and perhaps a glimmer of hope that, this time, real change might be on the horizon. But as history has shown, when it comes to healthcare policy in the United States, the path from promise to reality is rarely straightforward.
