Trump often goes off script. What does that mean for his drug pricing speech?

WASHINGTON — President Trump is expected to deliver a major address on drug prices this week. And perhaps more than with any other president, Washington is wondering: What will he say?

There’s the version of the speech that top health officials have been touting and previewing for the last several weeks — the serious, “comprehensive strategy” that will result in a “profound modernization” of how the federal government pays for at least some drugs, to hear health secretary Alex Azar or FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tell it.

But neither of those men will be behind the teleprompter this week. Because this is Trump, there is another possible version of the speech on everyone’s minds: the version in which he rips up his speech or otherwise ventures off script.

“This is not him waking up, watching ‘Fox & Friends’ and losing his s—. It’s a planned speech that HHS is behind,” one hospital and insurer lobbyist said. “Investors will be watching more closely, and going off script is a much bigger deal.”

There’s a small but real chance that what he says could galvanize the public behind a given idea — or come close