President Donald Trump has claimed a link between common over-the-counter painkillers and autism, contradicting major medical groups and following on from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s vow to find a “cause” for the condition.
“Taking Tylenol is not good,” Trump said at the White House Monday. “I’ll say it. It’s not good. For this reason [the FDA] are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”
Leading experts have long found acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, to be safe but have advised expectant mothers to consult with their physicians before use – as is the case with any drug during pregnancy.
A U.S. government-funded study, the largest to date on the subject, found that fetal exposure to acetaminophen carried no increased risk of a later autism diagnosis, running against Trump’s claim.
Autism diagnoses have risen over the last two decades, largely due to an increased awareness and an expanding definition of the condition, according to scientists.
Kennedy, a conspiracy theorist and vaccine skeptic, has pushed a discredited theory that routine childhood vaccinations are responsible for the spike.
Key Points
- Donald Trump says Tylenol is ‘not good’ for pregnant women and pushes unsupported autism claim
- Manufacturer hits back against administration's painkiller warning
- Is vaccine sceptic RFK Jr now the most dangerous man in the White House?
Trump and RFK Jr claim Tylenol is linked to autism. Here’s why scientific experts say that’s a lie
Monday 22 September 2025 20:22 , Julia Musto and Eric GarciaKennedy, who has long spread vaccine misinformation, has previously pushed a discredited theory that routine childhood vaccines were the cause of autism. After becoming HHS secretary, he pledged to determine the causes of autism by September, calling it an “epidemic.”
Kennedy has recently claimed that “interventions to improve health” were “almost certainly” responsible for autism, and alleged that many autistic children had been “fully functional” before they “regressed.”
However, decades of research has shown no direct connection between autism and acetaminophen, which is commonly known by the brand name Tylenol.
Trump and RFK Jr will claim Tylenol is linked to autism. Experts say that’s a lie
Autism Society 'deeply concerned' about HHS announcement on 'cause' for autism
Monday 22 September 2025 20:38 , Josh MarcusThe Autism Society, a longstanding nonprofit that advocates for public policy and workforce access for autistic people, is “deeply concerned” about the Trump administration’s reported intention to claim the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy is a “cause” for autism.
The group, in a statement to The Independent, emphasized that autism is “not a single condition with a single cause” but rather a “diverse and complex, shaped by genetic, biological, and environmental factors.”
“Premature or overstated claims risk retraumatizing families, spreading misinformation, and undermining public health,” it added, arguing that “alarmist claims” could deter pregnant women from safely treating fever or pain, which itself puts babies at risk.
The society pointed to a 2024 JAMA study of more than 2 million children that found no causal link between acetaminophen and autism once genetic and familial factors were considered.
Trump administration autism announcement comes amid chaotic period under RFK Jr
Monday 22 September 2025 20:50 , Josh MarcusThe Trump administration’s incoming autism announcement is the latest in a string of health-related clashes that have seen Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., at odds with medical experts in- and outside of government.
Last week, former CDC Director Susan Monarez testified in the Senate that Kennedy pushed her out in August because she was “holding the line on scientific integrity” by refusing to rubber stamp firings and the administration’s preferred changes on childhood vaccine recommendations.
Monarez’s ouster in August prompted four top officials at the CDC to resign.
Earlier this summer, Kennedy abruptly fired the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) panel and canceled $500 million in vaccine development projects that use mRNA technology, the cutting-edge strategy used to rapidly develop multiple COVID vaccines.
“I only see harm coming,” Demetre Daskalakis, who resigned his position as director of National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases earlier this month, recently warned. “I may be wrong, but based on what I'm seeing, based on what I've heard with the new members of the advisory committee for Immunization Practices, or ACIP. They're really moving in an ideological direction where they want to see the undoing of vaccination.”
Top CDC official who quit over RFK Jr policies says he fears more attacks on vaccines
WATCH LIVE: Trump and RFK Jr make major autism announcement at White House
Monday 22 September 2025 21:08 , Josh MarcusPresident Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will appear at the White House any moment for remarks where they are expected to claim there is evidence of a link between autism and the use of the pain reliever acetaminophen during pregnancy.
Studies, major medical groups, and autism organizations have refuted the claim that such medicines are a provable “cause” of autism.
You can watch the officials’ full remarks live on YouTube via The Independent channel.
Maternal medicine experts say no clear link between acetaminophen and autism
Monday 22 September 2025 21:29 , Josh MarcusMaternal medicine experts warn that scientific evidence does not support the Trump administration’s reported intention to claim Tylenol use during pregnancy causes autism.
In a statement earlier this month, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said that a “thorough review” of studies exploring the potential links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy “does not establish a causal relationship” — that is, a clear, provable link between cause and effect.
“All of the studies to date, including the most recent research, have significant methodological and design limitations and do not clearly establish the link between acetaminophen and childhood neurobehavioral issues,” the group wrote.
“At this time, the weight of scientific evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy causes an increased risk for autism or ADHD is simply inconclusive,” SMFM President Sindhu K. Srinivas, MD, MSCE, added in a press release. “In maternal-fetal medicine, as in all of medicine, our recommendations are based on an evaluation of rigorous research and data, clinical expertise, and our patients’ values and preferences.”
The group further explained that pregnant people avoiding common pain and fever medicine can carry “significant maternal and infant health risks,” including increasing the chance of miscarriage, birth defects, premature birth, maternal depression, anxiety, and high blood pressure.
Trump begins autism announcement
Monday 22 September 2025 21:48 , Josh MarcusAfter a brief wait, the president has begun his announcement about autism.
Watch live via The Independent.
Scientists doubt there's clear evidence Tylenol causes autism. So what do we know?
Monday 22 September 2025 21:50 , Josh MarcusMedical experts and autism advocates say the research is far too early-stage to confidently claim, as the Trump administration is expected to do, that the use of drugs with acetaminophen during pregnancy is a clear “cause” of autism in children.
“It is disingenuous and misleading to boil autism’s causes down to one simple thing,” Dr. Alycia Halladay, Chief Science Officer at the Autism Science Foundation, said in a statement from the Autism Science Foundation earlier this month, as reports first began trickling out the Trump administration was preparing such an announcement.
“We know that autism is incredibly complicated, and we need to move away from studies that simplify it down to one exposure without any other considerations,” she added.
Genetic factors play the “biggest role,” according to the foundation, which says hundreds of genes have been linked to autism, genes that can be inherited or spontaneously change in ways that impact brain development.
Other notable factors are “environmental,” such as advanced parental age, prematurity, low birth weight, or exposures to fever or illness during pregnancy.
Trump claims 'alarming rise' in autism and pushes unsupported claim to stop taking Tylenol during pregnancy
Monday 22 September 2025 21:59 , Josh MarcusDuring remarks from the White House on Monday, President Trump claimed a link between over-the-counter pain relievers and autism, despite medical groups arguing such claims are unsupported by current medical research.
“Taking Tylenol is not good,” Trump said. “I’ll say it. It’s not good. For this reason [the FDA] are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”
The president also claimed one in 12 boys are now diagnosed with autism, calling it “among the most alarming public health developments in history." He did not share the source of that data.
“You know there’s something artificial,” the president said of what is causing the spike in diagnoses. “They’re taking something. By the way, I think I can say there are certain groups of people who don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism.”
“Does that tell you something?” the president continued, looking to his advisors. “That's currently. Is that a correct statement by the way?”
Major medical groups have long found acetaminophen, the active ingredient in the popular medicine, to be safe but have advised pregnant women to consult with their physicians before use, as is the case with any drug during pregnancy.
Autism cases are thought to be increasing because of expanding criteria for diagnoses and more awareness of the spectrum.
Trump urges against early childhood Hepatitis B vaccine
Monday 22 September 2025 22:11 , Josh MarcusIn addition to making unsupported claims about using Tylenol during pregnancy being linked to autism, the president on Monday also urged parents against the common practice of vaccinating babies against hepatitis B.
“Hepatitis B is sexually transmitted,” Trump said. “There's no reason to give a baby that's almost just born hepatitis B.”
Trump claimed that parents avoiding this routine vaccination for their children until the teen years would be a “revolution in a positive sense.”
'I'm absolutely speechless': Public health expert's alarm at Trump autism press conference
Monday 22 September 2025 22:14 , Josh MarcusPublic experts are dismayed by the Trump administrations recent attempts to claim Tylenol is a “cause” of the rise in autism diagnoses, a claim which numerous mainstream medical and autism groups say is unsupported by recent evidence.
“I’m absolutely speechless,” Dr. Craig Spencer, Associate Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, wrote on X of the Monday press conference announcing the administration’s claims. “Like, wow. This is the worst ‘health’ press conference I maybe have ever seen. And I watched every one during Covid. How are we doing this again???”
“How can you be so wrong on so many things in such a short period of time,” he added.
Tylenol manufacturer pushes back against Trump admin claims
Monday 22 September 2025 22:18 , Josh Marcus
Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, strongly disputed suggestions on Monday from the White House that the acetaminophen-based painkiller and fever reduction drug is a risk to pregnant women.
In a statement to Axios, the company said that “acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy" and that "rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism."
"We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” the company added. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."
Trump tells women to 'tough it out' and avoid fever meds
Monday 22 September 2025 22:40 , Josh Marcus
President Trump and his top medical officials had a mixed series of messages for women on Monday as the White House described its controversial and medically unverified claims that over-the-counter fever reducers during pregnancy are linked to autism.
The president repeatedly urged pregnant women to “tough it out” and avoid using Tylenol, even though untreated fever during pregnancy increases the risks of miscarriage, birth defects, and premature birth.
At the same time, despite the president urging women to largely avoid getting treatment for such health conditions, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested the administration’s unsupported claims that vaccines are tied to autism are valid because “40 to 70” percent of mothers with autistic children think it is true.
“President Trump believes we should be listening to these mothers instead of gaslighting them and marginalizing them like prior administrations,” Kennedy said. “Some of our friends like to say we should believe all women. Some of these same people have been silencing and demonizing these others for three decades because research on the potential link between autism and vaccines has bene actively suppressed in the past.”
Trump falsely claims Cubans and Amish don't have autism because they don't take Tylenol or vaccines
Monday 22 September 2025 23:11 , Josh MarcusDuring his remarks Monday announcing administration efforts to investigate autism, President Trump made multiple exaggerated claims that Cubans and Amish people don’t get autism because they are not as exposed to vaccines or Tylenol.
“It doesn’t exist,” Trump said of autism in the Amish community, adding that it was because these communities “don’t take all of this junk,” including vaccines.
Speaking about Cubans, the president claimed there wasn’t autism there because the island nation lacks the funds for medicines like Tylenol.
“There’s a rumor, I don’t know if it’s so or not, that Cuba, they don’t have Tylenol,” Trump said. “Because they don’t have the money for Tylenol, and they have virtually no autism.”
In fact, according to experts, that is not the case for either group. Autism is documented in both communities, and different Amish communities have different views on vaccines.
In Cuba, meanwhile, a perceived lack of autism is tied to the impact of the U.S. blockade on the island, which has hampered access to the kinds of medical resources needed to diagnose and study the condition.
Breaking news: Unpacking Trump's wild claims about 'cause' of autism
Monday 22 September 2025 23:30 , Josh MarcusPresident Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made an announcement declaring that they had found a link between autism and acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol.
This came despite the fact that little evidence of a link exists.
Trump and Kennedy, both of whom have repeated the debunked link between vaccines and autism, had said the the US government would reveal “what has caused autism epidemic” by September.
“So taking Tylenol is not good, all right, I'll say it it's not good for this reason,” Trump said. “They are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”
Throughout his announcement, Trump repeated numerous conspiracy theories about autism, including easily debunked claims about mercury in vaccines and the idea that certain populations do not develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Read the full story from The Independent’s Eric Garcia, who himself is autistic and is a nationally recognized author and journalist on the subject.
Trump;‘taking Tylenol is not good’ for pregnant women and makes wild autism claims
Recap: Trump administration pushes health policy changes to treat autism
Monday 22 September 2025 23:50 , Josh MarcusIn between the president making numerous unsupported claims today about a link between autism and commonly, evidence-supported treatments like vaccines and Tylenol, the Trump administration also announced a series of major changes that could impact the treatment of autism and beyond.
Here are the key updates:
- The FDA has initiated a process to change the label of acetaminophen-based drugs like Tylenol to warn pregnant women that taking the drugs “may be associated” with an increased in autism diagnoses in children, even though outside experts and the FDA itself admits no causal link has been proven and “there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.”
- The FDA has also initiated the approval of leucovorin calcium tablets to treat patients with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD), a neurological condition linked to “developmental delays with autistic features” such as challenges with social communication, according to the FDA, a process that will coincide with a potential label update for the treatment. The FDA hailed this step, plus allowing state Medicaid programs to cover the treatment, as “opening the door to the first FDA-recognized treatment pathway” to treating autism symptoms.
- The National Institutes of Health will also award $50 million to 13 projects as part of the Autism Data Science Intiative.
'Dangerous,' 'no clear evidence': Experts react to Trump announcements on autism
Tuesday 23 September 2025 00:10 , Josh MarcusAs expected, medical experts widely pushed back against the Trump administration’s claims on Monday that Tylenol and vaccines were linked to rising rates of autism.
“The announcement on autism was the greatest display of ignorance, unfounded blather, dangerous advice, recycled old nonsense and outright malpractice advice since Trump recommended bleach for Covid,” Arthur Caplan, professor of medical ethics at NYU, wrote on X. “A total laughingstock and embarrassment.”
Dr. Karam Radwan, director of the Neurodevelopmental Clinic at UChicago Medicine, told The Associated Press there is no credible evidence of a causal link “at any level” between acetaminophen-based medicines like Tylenol and autism.
He also warned pregnant women avoiding the medicine to treat fevers and pain carries health risks, which experts say can impact mother and child alike.
“Acetaminophen is safe and often the only safe choice that they have to treat their fever,” he said. “If they are choosing not to treat their fever for their fear, that could have consequences as well.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sounded a similar alarm.
“The conditions people use acetaminophen to treat during pregnancy are far more dangerous than any theoretical risks and can create severe morbidity and mortality for the pregnant person and the fetus,” Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, the group’s president, said in a statement.
White House weighs creating ‘TrumpRx’ website where citizens can buy meds directly from pharma companies: report
Tuesday 23 September 2025 00:30 , Josh MarcusThe Trump administration is considering setting up a government-run website that would help Americans buy cheaper medications directly from pharmaceutical companies, according to reports.
Inside sources told Bloomberg News that the website would let users search for specific drugs and then connect them with manufacturers, allowing them to pay out of pocket at a discounted price.
One name reportedly being considered for the website was "TrumpRx", although the plans are still under discussion.
It comes after the White House sent letters to 17 major drugmakers giving them until September 29 to expand their direct-to-consumer options and slash drug prices in line with other developed nations, while raising prices abroad to compensate.
White House weighs creating ‘TrumpRx’ website to buy meds directly from pharma firms
Newsom touts Health Alliance as Trump admits medical recommendations based on his feelings
Tuesday 23 September 2025 00:50 , Josh MarcusCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom is boosting the recently formed West Coast Health Alliance to coordinate public health advice between Washington, California, and Oregon, pointing to President Trump’s recent remarks in the White House about vaccines and autism, where the president repeatedly admitted his claims were based on his feelings and were not necessarily true.
“Exactly why we’re sticking with science,” Newsom’s office wrote on X.
The president and Newsom have been feuding online for months, and it looks like public health could be their latest battlefront.
‘Take your dementia meds’: Newsom slams Trump ‘lie’ about LA wildfire rebuild
How Trump and RFK put conspiracies at the heart of US health policy
01:10 , Josh MarcusBefore he set foot in 200 Independence Avenue, Washington DC, Robert F Kennedy Jr, US president Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services, had raised more than a few eyebrows from America’s medical establishment. Around 17,000, to be precise – that’s how many doctors signed a letter from the Committee to Protect Health Care urging senators to reject his nomination, saying he was “unqualified to lead” and was “actively dangerous”.
Their petition failed. Today, Kennedy Jr, better known as RFK, is head of an agency with an almost two trillion-dollar budget and a little over 80,000 employees. On Monday, speaking from the White House, Trump and the US secretary of health and human services said women should not take acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, “during the entire pregnancy.” It was announced that the Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism, but neither Trump or Kennedy Jr provided any peer reviewed medical evidence to support this. They also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines contributing to rising rates of autism.
“I’m absolutely speechless,” Dr. Craig Spencer, Associate Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, wrote on X after the press conference announcing the administration’s claims. “Like, wow. This is the worst ‘health’ press conference I maybe have ever seen. And I watched every one during Covid. How are we doing this again???”
It was back in May when Trump unveiled The Maha (Make America Healthy Again) Report, the administration’s blueprint for “making our children healthy again”. This report reflected Kennedy’s most contentious views on vaccines, pesticides, prescription drugs, and a description of America’s children as overmedicated and undernourished.
Read Alex Hannaford’s in-depth look at the massive shift.
Autism, vaccines and paracetamol –how Trump and RFK created a policy from conspiracy
The message from Democrats? Don't trust Trump with your health
01:32 , Josh MarcusPublic health experts aren’t the only ones expressing alarm over the Trump administration’s recent autism press conference, where the president made multiple unsupported claims about vaccines, autism, and common and well-studied pain medications.
“This has maybe been the most uninformed and dangerous ‘health’ press conference held by the U.S. government in my lifetime,” Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, wrote on X. “Don’t listen to Trump or RFK Jr. when it comes to vaccines, Tylenol, or anything having to do with your health—talk to your doctor. My god.”
“Here is my advice to pregnant women,” added Ashish Jha, the Biden administration Covid-19 coordinator, on X after the Monday announcement. “Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits for you and your baby from any medicine. Do not take advice from politicians.”
Trump and agencies alike admit autism announcement has its holes
01:52 , Josh MarcusPublic health announcements are typically short, clear, confident, and supported with reams of citations and studies. That way, the public is getting clear, medically sound advice, with little room for doubt or disagreement.
That wasn’t the case during the Trump administration’s much-watched set of announcements today around autism, where the president himself repeatedly admitted to making opinion-based claims instead of scientific ones, and his agencies undercut many of the White House’s biggest arguments.
On the subject of the MMRV vaccine, Trump said he believed individuals should take the component vaccines separately, rather than as one shot.
His evidence?
“This is based on what I feel,” Trump said.
On another vaccine, for hepatitis B, Trump urged parents to buck the usual practice of vaccinating babies or young children against the disease and waiting until they are teenagers.
“You know, I'm making these statements from me,” Trump said of this statement. “I'm not making them from these doctors. They talk about different results, different studies. I talk about a lot of common sense."
Later, Trump admitted he didn’t even know why vaccines were combined or given in clusters at all.
“For some reason, they insist that you put it all into the body, and maybe that's the drug companies they make more money that way,” Trump said. “Maybe it's the doctors because they don’t want to be doing this so much. Maybe it’s the doctors they get maybe more money. Who the hell knows what it is?”
In the fine print of the administration’s announcements on autism, the core agencies involved further undercut the White House’s claims it had stumbled on Tylenol and its active ingredient as a key cause of autism.
“Given the conflicting literature and lack of clear causal evidence, HHS wants to encourage clinicians to exercise their best judgment in use of acetaminophen for fevers and pain in pregnancy by prescribing the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration when treatment is required,” one press release noted.
“It is important to note that while an association between acetaminophen and neurological conditions has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature,” another read.
White House cagey on data behind autism announcement
01:58 , Josh MarcusEarlier today, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not say whether the administration is relying on new data for its highly debated claim that Tylenol is linked to autism.
“I think women for many years, in fact for decades, have been confused by the rapid increase in autism in this country,” she said, calling autism a “chronic disease epidemic plaguing” the country.
“They want answers,” she added.
.@PressSec: "I think women, for many years — in fact, for decades, have been confused by the rapid increase in autism in this country... and they want answers to that — and that's exactly what this Administration is focused on finding." pic.twitter.com/3zdnQlbQpT
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 22, 2025
Later, after the administration made a suite of autism-related announcements, the White House mostly pointed to existing studies, though it’s own messaging admitted different studies contradicted these claims.
Multiple irregularities in Trump admin push for autism 'treatment' drug
02:21 , Josh MarcusMuch attention, and rightfully so, has been pointed at the Trump administration today putting its weight behind a claim that Tylenol is causing rising autism rates. (Outside experts and federal regulators alike maintain there is no definitive evidence this is true.)
Another part of today’s health policy changes also deserves scrutiny, though.
The FDA announced on Monday that following a “systematic analysis” of medical literature, it believed the evidence supported a finding that leucovorin calcium tablets can help individuals with cerebral folate deficiency (CFD), a condition that sometimes causes “developmental delays with autistic features.”
The agency added it was working with drug maker GSK to broaden the use of the medicine to treat patients with these autism-like symptoms. (The drugmaker told The New York Times it no longer makes the drug, which is available as a generic.)
The announcement is an unusual one for a few reasons.
Normally, the FDA wouldn’t endorse a drug for such a specific reason without the company submitting clinical trials first.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of Medicare and Medicaid, added it would be directing states to help gather data about the efficacy of leucovorin, another unusual step.
Oz’s supplement company iHerb sells a similar treatment to the one being backed by the Trump administration, People reports.
Oz, prior to his turn in the Trump administration, had a lengthy record of promoting what experts said were sham weight loss solutions, inaccurate Covid information, and a medical device that was later subject to multiple recalls.
'It's not black and white': Researcher cited by Trump reacts to announcement
02:50 , Josh MarcusA researcher whose work the White House cited today in its scientifically questionable push to declare Tylenol causes autism says all this is a topic worth studying, but that the Trump administration is describing an absolutist approach that goes beyond what her findings suggest.
“[For] women, it’s a nuanced message. It’s not black and white, and that’s part of the issue,” University of Massachusetts epidemiologist Ann Bauer told Politico.
Bauer, along with researchers from Harvard, UCLA, and the Icahn School of Medicine, reviewed existing research and found 27 studies around the world linking exposure to acetaminophen and an increased risk of diagnoses of autism or ADHD.
However, the researcher noted that nine other studies they reviewed found no association, and four had a protective effect. Other papers not considered, including the largest such study on the subject, have found no causal link.
She also added, echoing autism researchers, that the spectrum of conditions is also influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
“Importantly, you have to treat maternal fever and severe pain because they pose risks to the developing fetus, such as neural tube defects, pre-term birth, bleeding risks,” Bauer said. “So we have to present a balanced approach and alternate pain medications are not safe for use during pregnancy.”
The researcher’s points couldn’t be more different from the Trump administration’s claims this afternoon, which saw the president repeatedly urged pregnant women and young children alike to virtually never take the drug.
Kathy Hochul calls Trump comments on pregnancy 'insulting to every mother in America'
03:20 , Josh Marcus
Throughout the White House’s autism announcement today, President Trump repeatedly warned women to “tough it out” through fever and pain if it meant avoiding taking Tylenol, which the administration claimed is linked to increasing autism rates, despite that claim having no definitive evidence and being subject to heavy medical debate.
Not only were these comments medically fraught — experts say pregnant women avoiding treating pain and fever can cause health risks to mother and child alike — they were also politically controversial.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X on Monday the comments were demeaning and condescending towards women.
“As someone who went through two days of labor, I don’t need lectures on toughness, and neither does any woman,” Hochul wrote. “This is insulting to every mother in America.”
NIH to spend $50m on autism research as part of Trump plan
03:50 , Josh MarcusPerhaps the most scientifically sound part of the Trump administration suite of autism-related announcements on Monday is a plan to spend $50 million on new research.
The Autism Data Science Initiative will see the National Institutes of Health invest in 13 “pioneering” projects across a variety of disciplines, officials said.
“Our Autism Data Science Initiative will unite powerful datasets in ways never before possible,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, said in a statement. “By bringing together genetics, biology, and environmental exposures, we are opening the door to breakthroughs that will deepen our understanding of autism and improve lives.”
The initiative will pay particular attention to “exposomics—the comprehensive study of environmental, medical, and lifestyle factors in combination with genetics and biology,” the NIH said.
The research push comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday dismissed the NIH’s recent decades of research on autism, arguing it didn’t do enough to consider such environmental factors.
Full statement: How a major autism organization views Trump's announcements
04:20 , Josh MarcusHow does the Trump administration’s package of autism-related policies and announcements today resonate with experts in the field.
Here’s what Autism Speaks, a major advocacy group, had to say about today’s announcements in a statement to The Independent:
Women who are pregnant and families considering new therapies for autism should always consult with their doctor.
While some observational studies have suggested possible associations between Tylenol (also known as acetaminophen) and autism, it is important to note that they have not – to date – proven causation, which we know to be influenced by many other factors such as genetics, parental health and environment.
As highlighted in today’s announcement, leucovorin shows promise in improving speech in minimally verbal children. However, larger, well-controlled clinical trials are still needed to confirm its efficacy and safety as a therapeutic treatment.
At Autism Speaks, we have been encouraged by the recent, increased focus on autism and have consistently advocated for substantive spending on the research and services needed to improve the lives of autistic people. We acknowledge today’s commitment and the investment being directed toward further research and resources, and express our sincere hope that these efforts will translate into true, improved quality of life for those with autism.
We urge the Administration’s resources be dedicated toward advancing new and innovative areas of research, so the community benefits from fresh insights, rather than revisiting questions that have been well studied, including vaccines and autism. We look forward to continuing our bipartisan work and supporting public officials, as well as the medical and scientific communities in their efforts to improve the lives of those on the spectrum.
Trump officials appear to overstate findings of major autism study
04:50 , Josh Marcus
Trump administration officials appear to be inaccurately describing a major study the White House has used to back up its claims that Tylenol is driving an increase in autism diagnoses.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday night, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz described a major review of studies on the topic as essentially a slam dunk.
“Based on the overwhelming body of evidence, there was a causal relationship,” Makary said. “Those are the exact words of the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.”
Oz, meanwhile, pointed to a statement from the dean, Andrea Baccarelli, that was included in today’s announcements.
In fact, both Baccarrelli’s statement and another of the paper’s authors were more guarded in how they described their findings.
“We found evidence of an association between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and increased incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders in children,” Baccarelli said in the statement shared by the White House.
University of Massachusetts epidemiologist Ann Bauer, a co-author on the paper, has also described their findings as an “association,” rather than a harder-to-prove definitive causation.
Bauer, in an interview with Politico, emphasized that their findings were not “black and white” and suggested pregnant women should still get Tylenol to treat pain and fever if need be in consultation with their doctors, given that there aren’t safe alternatives during pregnancy.
The Trump administration, in its announcements today, also declined to mention that the largest study on the topic, one funded by the U.S. government, found the opposite.
Vaccine professor and father of autistic child warns Trump announcement will have dangerous 'real world impact'
05:20 , Josh MarcusThe Trump administration’s statements on autism could steer parents away from viable medicines based on unfounded claims, according to Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist at the Texas Medical Center and father of an autistic daughter.
"The real world impact is that parents, or people, are going to think that Tylenol causes autism… it's not supported by the science,” Hotez told CNN on Monday. “So the right answer would be, if they were going to convene a press conference, would be to say look, we are concerned about autism. We know it affects a lot of families. We want to do a deeper dive into the potential causes of autism.”
White House should get credit since there's 'no political benefit' in researching autism: Dr. Oz
05:50 , Josh MarcusThe Trump administration should be praised for tackling autism even though there is no “political benefit” in it, according to Medicare and Medicaid chief Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Speaking with Fox News on Monday night, Oz praised the president and health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as “undaunted” and pursuing solutions that meant to end America’s record of having “gaslit women for too long” about autism rates.
“There’s no political benefit of today for the president,” Oz said. “You’re losing donors.”
The comments are striking from a public health official, who typically take pains to separate their work from politics.
And, as Alex Hannaford write for The Independent, there probably is some political tinge to all of this, at least in the eyes of the White House.
The Trump campaign’s alliance with its then-rival Kennedy was a pivotal moment of the 2024 election, and since then, the administration has leaned hard into Kennedy’s conspiratorial, partisan style of public health.
Autism, vaccines and paracetamol –how Trump and RFK created a policy from conspiracy
White House accidentally debunks itself over autism study
06:20 , Josh MarcusThe White House, in its push to claim Tylenol used during pregnancy is causing increased rates of autism in children, has referred frequently to a 2025 study on the topic.
The only problem is the Trump administration keeps exaggerating what the study actually says.
Speaking today on Fox News, the FDA Commissioner Martin Makary claimed the dean of the Harvard School of Public Health’s “exact words” were that the study found a “causal relationship.”
In fact, as is typical with scientists, the dean’s comments were more measured.
In a statement shared by the White House from Dean Andrea Baccarelli, the professor said he and his coauthors had evidence that “suggested the possibility of a causal relationship,” but that “further research is needed to confirm the association and determine causality.”
The difference may seem semantic, but correlation and causation are extremely different, with the latter much harder to prove and much more important when making medical policy.
Ironically, the statement from Baccarelli was shared in full in an attempt by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to argue that Associated Press coverage about the autism policies was “plan old false” because the wire service reported accurately that Tylenol had not been “proven” to cause autism.
Rather, the outlet and the scientists appear to be on the same page, and it is the administration who seems to be the odd one out.
Trump autism announcement underscores health divides with Democratic governors
06:50 , Josh MarcusThe Trump administration’s series of autism announcements today is the latest issue to drive a wedge between the White House and the governors of prominent Democratic states, following months of acrimony over questions like the use of the National Guard and immigration raids.
After the president made numerous unsupported claims on Monday linking autism, common pain meds, and vaccines, leaders including Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania sounded off.
“Science shouldn’t be partisan — and it should rely on facts,” Shapiro wrote on X, sharing a link showing the state’s efforts to continue following Biden-era vaccine guidance. “The federal government is sowing misinformation and causing chaos. Here in Pennsylvania, we’re going to follow the evidence so you and your doctors — not RFK Jr. and Donald Trump — can make the right decisions about your health care.”
Earlier in the day, Newsom took a similar approach, writing on X that Trump’s claims were “exactly why we’re sticking with science,” as the Democrat added a link to a recently formed alliance of Democrat-controlled West Coast states that plan to coordinate public health policy.
Timeline: RFK's ever-changing promise to find the cause of autism
07:20 , Josh MarcusSince taking office, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has gone back and forth on a major promise to uncover the cause of autism by September of this year.
During its announcements today, the White House stopped short of claiming it had found the main cause of autism, though it made multiple scientifically unsound claims that pregnant women using Tylenol had been shown to cause the condition.
Here are Kennedy’s comments in recent months.
RFK Jr. says HHS will determine the cause of autism by September
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RFK Jr is already walking back his pledge to find the cause of autism by September
Internet roasts Trump for not being able to pronounce acetaminophen
07:50 , Josh MarcusDonald Trump came in for mockery on social media on Monday for not being able to pronounce the word “acetaminophen,” the active ingredient in Tylenol his administration has claimed is responsible for driving an increase in autism, despite a lack of definitive evidence that’s the case.
“That’s exactly what you want: to take medical advice from a guy who can’t pronounce ‘acetaminophen,’” political commentator Ana Navarro-Cárdenas wrote on X.
It’s the sort of slip-up that likely would’ve become major political fodder during the end of the Biden administration, when pundits and critics were arguing the Democrat was undergoing a mental decline.
Whether the same scrutiny will happen to Trump remains to be seen.
WATCH: Trump can't pronounce name of drug he claims causes autism
08:30 , Josh MarcusRecap: Trump says Tylenol is ‘not good’ for pregnant women in autism talk
08:51 , Joe SommerladPresident Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr declared Monday that they’ve found a link between autism and acetaminophen, commonly known as Tylenol, despite scant evidence of a link.
Speaking from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Trump said women should not take acetaminophen “during the entire pregnancy.”
“With Tylenol, don’t take it! Don’t take it,” Trump insisted. “All pregnant women should talk to their doctors for more information about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant.
“And I want to say it right now, and you know the way I look at it, don’t take it. Don't take it. There’s no downside in not taking it.”
He said the Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism but did not immediately provide any medical evidence for the FDA’s new recommendation.
Trump and Kennedy, both of whom also repeated some debunked and other unfounded links between vaccines and autism, which affects one in 31 children in the U.S., according to CDC statistics.
RFK had earlier promised he would reveal “what has caused the autism epidemic” by September.
Eric Garcia has a full report.
Trump: ‘taking Tylenol is not good’ for pregnant women and makes wild autism claims
Painkiller manufacturer pushes back against administration’s claims
09:10 , Joe SommerladKenvue, the company behind Tylenol, strongly disputed the White House’s claims Monday that the acetaminophen-based painkiller and fever reduction drug is a risk to pregnant women.
The company said in a statement that “acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy” and that “rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.”
It continued: “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
Premium: Is vaccine sceptic RFK Jr now the most dangerous man in the White House?
09:30 , Joe SommerladHere’s Alex Hannaford on the rise of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s ‘MAHA’ movement and why some of its wild claims rooted in conspiracy theories could prove devastating.
Autism, vaccines and paracetamol –how Trump and RFK created a policy from conspiracy
White House weighs ‘TrumpRx’ site to buy meds direct from drugmakers
09:50 , Joe SommerladThe Trump administration is considering setting up a government-run website that would help Americans buy cheaper medications directly from pharmaceutical companies, according to reports.
Inside sources told Bloomberg News that the website would let users search for specific drugs and then connect them with manufacturers, allowing them to pay out of pocket at a discounted price.
One name reportedly being considered for the website was “TrumpRx,” although the plans are still under discussion.
It comes after the White House sent letters to 17 major drugmakers giving them until September 29 to expand their direct-to-consumer options and slash drug prices in line with other developed nations, while raising prices abroad to compensate.
Io Dodds reports.
White House weighs creating ‘TrumpRx’ website to buy meds directly from pharma firms
Watch: Trump tells his friends taking ‘fat pill’ Ozempic it ‘hasn’t worked so well’
10:10 , Joe SommerladHe always knows just what to say.
Voices: What Trump says about autism isn’t just fake news – it’s dangerous
10:30 , Joe SommerladWith his reckless suggestion that taking paracetamol during pregnancy can cause neurodevelopmental disorders in children, the president’s war on women has reached new depths, says Victoria Richards.
What Trump says about autism isn’t just fake news – it’s dangerous
Watch: TV doctor says Trump’s autism claim ‘based on no evidence whatsoever’
10:50 , Joe SommerladSpeaking on Good Morning Britain a short while ago, Dr Hillary Jones said that painkillers like paracetamol and Tylenol are “completely safe and effective when used appropriately in pregnancy” and that “everyone with medical skills is queuing up to diss this as pseudo science and nonsense.”
World leaders anxiously await Trump’s UN speech as president hits out at ‘globalist institutions’
11:10 , Joe SommerladPresident Donald Trump is set to address the United Nations General Assembly today, with global leaders awaiting his remarks with some concern given his administration’s efforts to cut back on U.S. engagement with international bodies.
Here’s a preview from Aamer Mahdani.
Wall Street Journal fires back at Trump over Epstein letter lawsuit
11:30 , Joe SommerladLawyers for The Wall Street Journal blasted the president’s defamation lawsuit against the publishers and journalists who uncovered his alleged birthday letter to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which the president claims does not exist.
A letter allegedly signed by Trump – which features a sexually suggestive drawing and a birthday wish that says “may every day be another wonderful secret” – was first published by the newspaper and then shared with members of Congress by the Epstein estate.
Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter and denied that a signature on the document is his. The president’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit claims that “no authentic letter or drawing exists,” and on his Truth Social account, he called the WSJ’s story a “false, malicious, defamatory, FAKE NEWS ‘article’ in the useless ‘rag’ that is.”
The president’s lawsuit “does not include a single plausible allegation” that any of the defendants – which include right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the newspaper’s parent companies – knowingly published false statements about him, lawyers wrote Monday.
“The Article is true,” lawyers wrote, and the evidence is publicly available for anyone to see.
Alex Woodward has more.
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Wall Street Journal fires back at Trump over Epstein birthday letter lawsuit
