Donald Trump once said that his friend was “fatter than ever” after taking GLP-1. Is this side effect possible?

The GLP-1s took an unexpected political turn. During a 2026 event to discuss his administration’s major health care plan, US President Donald Trump claimed that a “very fat” friend of his took Ozempic, only to gain more weight (via TMZ).

Does Trump’s assertion that GLP-1 sometimes causes weight gain stand up to scrutiny? Yes, but the underlying reasons vary depending on each person’s condition. (Plus, that statement is a bit ironic, considering Trump’s annual physical examination for 2025 has been confirmed His BMI was in the obese category at the time.)

For example, a person starting on a low dose of GLP-1 may experience less appetite suppression than is needed to avoid overeating. In this case, the individual may need to work with a doctor to adjust the dosage to avoid weight gain. Likewise, people’s bodies can adapt to doses of GLP-1, meaning the drug becomes less effective over time and the dose must be pushed up to produce the desired amount of reduced “hunger noise.”

Another possible cause of weight gain while taking GLP-1s Ozempic: common side effectssuch as vomiting, constipation, and fatigue. After all, it may be difficult for people to exercise if they experience such unwanted physical responses. So, even if they eat a little less, they may not notice significant weight loss, or any weight loss at all, because they still aren’t burning a lot of extra calories.

Then there is the possibility of weight gain after starting and stopping GLP-1. Many people who were on GLP-1 stop after about one year, depending on the year 2024 He studies In the open JAMA network. Most of them regain a significant portion of the weight they lost within a year. In fact, 2022 trial Research published in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism shows that people, on average, regain two-thirds of their weight after stopping taking GLP-1.

Meanwhile, 2021 results Clinical trial The publication in JAMA showed that after stopping taking GLP-1 after 20 weeks, individuals regained 6.9% of their weight after another 48 weeks. In contrast, those who continued on GLP-1 lost another 7.9% of their weight.

Evidence also supports the idea that some people’s bodies are trying to return to a normal weight “set point” range (known as “Set point theory“) once GLP-1 production was discontinued. 2010 condition In the F1000 reports, Medicine argued that this was a type of predictable “counter-regulation” that should be taken into account when patients and providers create personalized weight loss programs.

The bottom line here is that Trump’s friend may have gained weight either while taking the GLP-1 drug, or after taking the weight-loss product, if he stopped taking it. Trump describes him as having difficulty walking normally, so the friend may need other ways to address his weight concerns. As mentioned by emergency physician Dr. Darren Sutton Good morning America“There are some (people) who, despite doing all of this (trying GLP-1s), may have difficulty losing weight, and for those, I recommend speaking to a provider to review a variety of medications and interventions that may help.”