MAGA allies thank Trump after overdoses decline — but the report tells a different story
Donald Trump's allies and supporters were quick to thank the president after a new report showed that U.S. overdose deaths fell throughout the first year of the second Trump presidency, but the report itself suggests that MAGA policies could actually be making the situation worse.
In a report called "US overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals," ABC noted, "U.S. overdose deaths fell through the most of last year, suggesting a lasting improvement in an epidemic that had been worsening for decades."
MAGA fans apparently didn't read the second line of the article, which states, "Federal data released Wednesday showed that overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years — the longest drop in decades — but also that the decline was slowing."
They took to social media to credit Trump's decision to blow up cocaine trafficking boats that experts agree were not heading for the U.S.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement itself wrote, "Securing the border and removing criminal illegal alien gang members and drug traffickers from the U.S. yields fantastic results. Thank you, President Trump."
MAGA influencer Andy Ngo wrote, "I wonder why," and asked, "What changed in the last year?"
Right-wing pundit Kathleen McKinley wrote, "It’s called closed borders. You are welcome!"
Pro-Trump CEO Bill Ackman said, "A weak president with bad policies can literally kill tens of thousands of people with no accountability for the massive loss of life."
Ex-Trump official Vianca Rodriguez chimed in by saying, "Wow -- it's almost like Trump admin's anti-drug trafficking policies are working!"
Andrew Pollack added, "Trump’s approval rating would be 60%+ if these damn publications just gave him credit."
FBI Director Kash Patel said, "This is a whole of government effort and the result of Trump leadership letting good cops be cops. At the FBI for example we had a 31% increase in fentanyl seizures 2025, 2,100 kilos - what would’ve been enough to kill 150+ million Americans."
"Real lives being saved," he added.
But those lives might not have been saved by Trump. In fact, the report they celebrated notes that the new data revealed overdoses "have been falling for more than two years" and that the decline was now "slowing."
As for potential reasons for the slow down, the article points to Trump policies.
"The Maryland and Pittsburgh researchers raised questions about whether Trump administration policies could slow momentum. They noted relations between the U.S. and China strained last year when Trump placed sharply higher tariffs on imports from China, and speculated China might ease efforts to police fentanyl precursors," according to the report. "They also noted Trump has promised a $2,000 check to Americans to help offset the rising prices resulting from tariffs placed on China. Those checks could cause some drug users to splurge and overdose, said [Dr. Donald Burke], who urged federal officials to think through how the money is disbursed."