Trump claims US has drug that can bring people back from the dead

It wouldn't be a White House press conference without Donald Trump making an outlandish claim over his team's achievements.

This week, he claimed to have witnessed a drug bring a person back from the dead.

The US President made the eyebrow-raising remark while speaking during a routine press event, where he appeared to be discussing the Right to Try Act.

The law, which was passed during Trump’s first stint in office, allows some terminally ill patients to access experimental treatments that have not yet been fully approved.

The idea is that people facing life-threatening illnesses may be able to try medicines still being tested when other treatment options have already been exhausted.

Whilst an interesting concept to some, Trump appeared to take that idea a whole lot further, suggesting the US had access to a drug capable of helping people who were, in his words, already dead.

The President said, as shared in clips across social media — like one shared by journalist Aaron Rupar on X (formerly Twitter): “We’ve taken people that were dead. We had a person given the last rites — gone, the kids are crying and everything, and started them on this drug. And the person became better. It works.”

Unsurprisingly, the comment has sparked quite a reaction. Many people are questioning exactly what Trump meant, as well as what drug he was referring to.

The 79-year-old did not name the exact treatment during the remarks, nor did he offer clinical data, medical records, or further details to back up the extraordinary claim.

In the footage, Trump appeared to be speaking broadly about experimental drugs and terminally ill patients, rather than announcing a specific new medicine.

That has led some critics to suggest he may have been referring to a severely ill patient recovering after treatment, rather than somebody being legally or medically declared dead — even if it is enough to get people curious, whether that’s about said drug or Trump himself.

Trump: "We've taken people that were dead. We had a person given the last rites -- gone, the kids are crying and everything -- and started them on this drug. And the person became better. It works." pic.twitter.com/1QMzj8sDH8

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 11, 2026

After all, being critically ill, unconscious, or close to death is very different from death being formally confirmed by medical professionals.

Experts have since pushed back on the idea that any drug can simply reverse death, with medical professionals stressing that recovering from a life-threatening condition is not the same thing as bringing someone back from the dead.

The claim has also renewed scrutiny over the administration’s approach to public health, with critics arguing — as reported via posts by influencers like Hashem Al-Ghaili on Instagram — that attention should remain on existing, proven treatments and harm-reduction tools.

The Right to Try Act has long been controversial, with supporters arguing it gives desperately ill patients more options, while critics have warned that it can leave vulnerable people exposed to treatments that are not yet proven to work.

Trump, however, has repeatedly touted the law as one of his major healthcare achievements.