During a high-profile press conference at the White House on Thursday, November 6, 2025, a medical emergency briefly disrupted proceedings when a man collapsed behind Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The event, intended to announce a major deal with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cost of popular weight-loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients, paused as staff rushed to assist the individual.

The mishap occurred just as Dave Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly, was speaking. As the man slumped forward, a nearby attendee called out, “You OK? Gordon, you OK?” prompting immediate response from others including Mehmet Oz, who rushed to render aid.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later issued a statement: “During the Most Favored Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay.”

After a brief pause, the conference resumed. President Trump addressed the incident directly, telling the press, “One of the representatives of one of the companies got a little bit light-headed and so they went down, and he’s fine. They’ve got doctor’s care, but he’s fine. So we had a little bit of an interruption. Sorry for that.”

Initial reports claimed the man was Gordon Findlay of Novo Nordisk, but the company stated that he was not present and that only two company representatives attended the event.

While the cause of the collapse remains undetermined, the event highlights the risks of live televised announcements and underscores the vulnerability of even high-profile public gatherings. Officials emphasized that no long-term injury was reported and the man is being further monitored.