Trump Ties Autism to Tylenol Use During Pregnancy, Launches Historic Public Health Initiative
President Donald Trump made a groundbreaking announcement Monday, tying the dramatic rise in autism diagnoses to the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and warning about overexposure to vaccines in infants. Speaking from the White House, the president declared the surge in autism cases “one of the most alarming public health developments in history” and vowed to confront the crisis head-on.
“Tylenol taken during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” Trump said, referencing the drug’s active ingredient, acetaminophen. “So taking Tylenol is not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”
Trump also sounded the alarm on the current vaccine schedule for babies, which he described as excessive and potentially harmful. “It’s too much liquid, too many different things going into that baby,” he warned. “It’s like 80 different vaccines, and you give that to a little kid?”
Massive Federal Research Effort Underway
Trump’s remarks follow his administration’s April announcement of a full-scale government research initiative aimed at uncovering the root causes of autism by September. On Sunday, during his eulogy for Charlie Kirk, the president teased what he called “one of the biggest announcements medically in the history of our country.”
On Monday, that promise came to fruition as top medical officials confirmed the launch of a coordinated effort between the NIH, FDA, CDC, and CMS. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., decades of bureaucratic complacency are being dismantled in favor of fast-tracked scientific inquiry.
“Historically, NIH has focused almost solely on politically safe and entirely fruitless research about the genetic drivers of autism,” Kennedy said. “That would be like studying the genetic drivers of lung cancer without looking at cigarettes.”
“We have broken down the traditional silos and fast-tracked research and guidance,” Kennedy added. “This is coming from an environmental toxin, and somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food.”
FDA and CDC Confirm Shift in Approach
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary echoed the administration’s urgency, saying that studies from institutions like Mount Sinai, Harvard, and the Boston Birth Cohort have established a causal link between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD.
“We now have data we cannot ignore,” Makary said. “The science is clear.”
The CDC, in its April survey, confirmed that autism prevalence is surging, with 1 in 31 eight-year-olds diagnosed as of 2022 — a steep rise from 1 in 36 in 2000. The agency had previously attributed the increase to improved detection and changing diagnostic criteria, but Monday’s announcement suggests the administration is now focusing on environmental triggers.
Tylenol Manufacturer Pushes Back
Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol, issued a strongly worded statement rejecting the government’s conclusion.
“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” a company spokesperson said. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
But federal officials remained unmoved. According to HHS, the mounting body of evidence demands action — not spin. The Trump administration’s initiative is expected to include updated medical guidance, further public education, and possibly new regulatory measures on prenatal medications.
Trump’s public health push comes at a time when many Americans — especially parents — are asking why autism rates have soared over the past two decades. Monday’s announcement suggests the White House is ready to tackle the question directly, no matter how politically inconvenient the answers may be.