On Camera, Trump's Drug Event Paused As Man Faints At White House

President Donald Trump had a jump scare at the White House when a man, who was standing behind him, collapsed during an event in the Oval Office. The man was reportedly a representative of a pharmaceutical company who came to the White House to attend the president's announcement on slashing the cost of weight-loss drugs.

Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks -- one of the bosses of the two drug companies invited to announce the price deal -- was speaking when the guest, who was standing with Team Trump officials and healthcare executives behind the Resolute Desk, where Trump was seated, crumpled to the ground. 

"You OK?" Ricks asked as people standing beside the man helped him lower to the floor. The attendees reportedly stood for roughly 30 minutes while the president and others spoke about the deal when the incident occurred. 

#Watch | President Donald Trump had a jump scare at the White House when a man collapsed while standing just behind him during an event in the Oval Office. The man was reportedly a representative of a pharmaceutical company who came to the White House to attend the president's… pic.twitter.com/Ud5kWa2ext

— NDTV WORLD (@NDTVWORLD) November 7, 2025

Trump, who was seated at the time, quickly stood up and remained behind his desk while others attended to the man. The man was examined by Mehmet Oz, Trump's administrator for the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, who said he was okay.

The attendees had been standing for roughly 30 minutes for announcements when the incident occurred. 

The press was then ushered out of the room, and the event was paused for about an hour. 

When the event resumed, Trump stated that the man was a representative from one of the pharmaceutical companies. 

"He got a little bit light-headed... You saw he went down. And he's fine. They just sent him out... He's got doctors' care. But he's fine," Trump said.

Later, in the press briefing, David Ricks identified the man as a guest of Eli Lilly.

"Gordon was one of the Lilly guests at the White House today. He became faint, and if you've ever been in the Oval Office, you stand a long time, and it's warm. Pleased to say that the White House medical staff did a great job, and he's doing great. So, nothing to be concerned about. Thanks for your concern," said Ricks.

Trump's Announcement

Trump announced deals on Thursday with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of some popular weight-loss drugs in exchange for relief from threatened tariffs.

Both companies "have agreed to offer their most popular GLP-1 weight-loss drug," Trump said at the White House, "at drastic discounts."

"Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are committing to offer Zepbound and Wegovy at 'Most Favoured Nation' rates for American patients," Trump added, saying this would lower the costs of products for those eligible.

The new generation of appetite-suppressing drugs using GLP-1 agonists -- which include the brands Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro -- has exploded in popularity in recent times due to their ability to help people lose weight.

But the sky-high prices of such drugs, which can cost more than $1,000 a month in the United States, have raised concerns.