Trump Administration's Problematic Claims on Tylenol and Autism

In a Sept. 22 press conference that he had billed as “one of the biggest [medical] announcements … in the history of our country,” President Donald Trump touted an unproven link between autism and the use of Tylenol, or acetaminophen, during pregnancy. Trump repeatedly told pregnant women not to take Tylenol and to “tough it out,” due to an association between the medication and autism. But the medication has not been established to cause autism, and some research indicates it likely doesn’t. Untreated pain or fever during pregnancy can be harmful to both mother and child. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary claimed the dean of Harvard University’s public health school said “there is a causal relationship” between Tylenol and autism. The dean did say that in written testimony for a lawsuit in 2023, but in a statement issued before the press conference he only said that a causal relationship was a possibility. Trump advised, “Don’t give Tylenol to the baby after the baby’s born.” Research hasn’t shown a causal link to autism for that, either. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that acetaminophen is “safe for children when taken, or dosed, correctly and under the guidance of a child’s pediatrician.” https://www.factcheck.org/2025/09/trump-administrations-problematic-claims-on-tylenol-and-autism/