Was Gordon Findlay at Trump's Oval Office press conference? Novo Nordisk clears the air after a man faints during drug prices announcement

A drug executive with the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk reportedly collapsed during a press conference at the Oval Office on Thursday, November 6. The man was initially identified as Gordon Findlay, with some X posts addressing him as the Director of the company.

However, the White House did not disclose the man's identity or confirm whether he was with the aforementioned pharma business. Hence, it cannot be said with confidence that a drug executive named Gordon Findlay was present at Thursday's Oval Office press conference.

On Thursday, Trump met Eli Lily and Novo Nordisk CEOs to strike a deal about reducing the cost of obesity treatments, including Wegovy and Zepbound. While Eli Lily's CEO, David Ricks, was speaking, a man standing alongside Dr Mehmet Oz, RFK Jr, and other drug executives suddenly fainted.

Here's the moment a pharmaceutical executive collapsed in the Oval Office minutes ago.

Reporters in the room identified him as Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Findlay, but the White House has not released a name. pic.twitter.com/sXGwOI7asC

— Anders Hagstrom (@Hagstrom_Anders) November 6, 2025

One clip by @Hagstrom_Anders making the rounds on X shows the man was right next to Mazier Mike Doustdar, NVO's CEO. As Ricks was on the podium, the man was seen concentrating on his speech while looking somewhat droopy. Within seconds, he stumbled forward with Doustdar and another exec, trying to support his body and hold him still.

Dr Oz soon reached out to help the man when his movement completely faltered and he collapsed in their arms. President Trump was seen immediately rising from his chair in concern. David Ricks stopped his speech midway to turn his attention to the man and ask him if he was alright. He was heard calling the man by the name 'Gordon':

"You okay? Gordon, you okay?"

It is unclear what may have caused the drug executive's health hazard.

Novo Nordisk confirms the man who fainted at the Oval Office is not a company staff member

Addressing the unfortunate situation, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said:

"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. The Press Conference will resume shortly."

President Trump also spoke about the man's health when the conference resumed:

"One of the representatives of the companies, of one of these companies, got a little bit lightheaded. We saw he went down, and he's fine. They just sent him out, and he's got doctors here. But he's fine."

​

Trump to the Novo Nordisk CEO: "Maybe you should give us a piece of the company like I've been asking for." pic.twitter.com/NRunjTD3nv

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 6, 2025

Despite initially being identified as Gordon Findlay of Novo Nordisk, the company shared a statement with Newsweek:

"CEO Mike Doustdar and EVP, US Operations, Dave Moore were the only two Novo Nordisk representatives in the Oval Office. We hope the gentleman who suffered a medical incident today is okay."

Hence, the real identity of the man who fainted remains unclear.

On the other hand, looking up Gordon Findlay on LinkedIn brought up a profile that claimed to be the Global Brand Director at NVO. According to Findlay's LinkedIn, he joined the company in September 2023 and is based in Basel, Switzerland.