President Donald Trump held an oval office press conference on September 22, addressing what his administration believes to be one of the root causes of autism: the use of acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy.
This announcement was hinted at during the memorial service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona that same day. President Trump made this claim after a conversation with his Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, whose platform included finding the causes for, and preventing Autism Spectrum Disorder. President Trump said that his administration would push for the label on Tylenol to be updated to include a warning to not take it while pregnant.
In a statement sent to NPR the maker of tylenol, Kenvue, said “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.” They continued, “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.”
President Trump’s officials did in fact cite a study done by Harvard during the conference that indicated Tylenol usage as a possible contributor, but not as a root cause.
Before the announcement was made, Ann Bauer, a researcher from that study came forward and said that she was, “A little concerned about how this message is going to come because I think they may be jumping the gun.” She added, “I think those of us in the research community would like to see stronger evidence.”
Kennedy in a later statement noted that there was no credible evidence to back these claims up, stating “It is not proof. We’re doing the studies to make the proof.”
