The use of GLP-1s is skyrocketing throughout the world; 11% of American adults report taking the medications, up from just 3% in 2024, according to a Gallup poll.
The prescription can be used to treat Type 2 diabetes (its original use), obesity and also lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart disease. Many healthcare workers and GLP-1 users consider these medications to be “miracle workers” as they improve health in myriad ways.
Yet, President Donald Trump, who has taken steps to make GLP-1 medications cheaper, often seems to reduce them to an insult. He often refers to the medication as “fat shots” or “fat drugs,” language he’s been using for months as he tells stories of a friend who “takes the ‘fat pill’ or the ‘fat shot’” and talks about seemingly the same friend who takes the “fat drug.”
At best, his use of the word “fat” is flippant and rude. At worst, it stigmatizes a community that regularly faces unfair treatment.
To understand how Americans feel about Trump’s nicknames for the medication, we asked GLP-1 users and medical professionals for their thoughts.
