At the White House last week, President Trump and senior health officials delivered sweeping claims about autism, Tylenol, and vaccines — claims that run counter to decades of scientific evidence. Trump urged pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and suggested vaccines contribute to rising autism rates. He told Americans, “do not take Tylenol,” framing prenatal exposure as a cause of autism.
But large population studies and expert reviews have not established a causal link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism diagnoses, according to a 2024 study by researchers at the Karolinska Institute and Lund University in Sweden and a 2025 review led by Didier Prada at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine.
Claim 1: “Don’t take Tylenol during pregnancy. It causes autism.”
False. No causal link between acetaminophen and autism has been established.
Why it’s false: A 2024 study of nearly 2.5 million children in Sweden, conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute and Lund University, found no causal association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability when comparing siblings. A 2025 meta-analysis led by Didier Prada, an epidemiologist at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, reviewed 46 studies and concluded that while some showed correlations between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and neuro-developmental disorders, the evidence was inconsistent and insufficient to prove causation.
What is true: Medical societies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, continue to recommend acetaminophen as the safest option for fever and pain management in pregnancy. Dr. Steven J. Fleischman, president of the ACOG, warned that untreated fever in pregnancy can increase risks of miscarriage, premature birth and certain birth defects.Multiple regulators and global health agencies rejected the claim that “Tylenol causes autism.” The United Kingdom’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said there is no evidence paracetamol, the name for acetaminophen in Europe, causes autism and affirmed it is safe when used as directed. The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency similarly said available evidence does not support a causal link – and that paracetamol remains an important option in pregnancy, urging caution about over-interpreting observational associations. Kenvue, which makes Tylenol, also said independent science does not show acetaminophen causes autism.
Trump also revived a familiar claim about vaccines and autism. That assertion has been tested repeatedly over three decades and has been consistently debunked by large epidemiologic studies and reviews. The New York Times summarized the scientific consensus and noted that the CDC childhood schedule is roughly 30 doses before age 18, not “as many as 80,” – claimed by Trump – and that the schedule does not overload immune systems.
Claim 2: Trump said, “Vaccines pump too much into babies and lead to autism.”
False. Decades of studies show no link between vaccines and autism.
Why it’s false: The CDC schedule includes about 30 vaccine doses before age 18, not 80 as stated by Trump. There is no evidence vaccines overload children’s immune systems or cause neurological disorders.
What is true: Vaccines prevent deadly diseases and have saved millions of lives worldwide. Major health agencies including WHO reaffirm that “vaccines do not cause autism”.
Trump suggested children should not receive hepatitis B vaccination until age 12, even though transmission can occur perinatally and through blood exposure, which is why the shot is recommended at birth.
He also proposed splitting the MMR vaccine into three separate shots, an approach not supported by evidence and one that would expose children to more clinic visits without demonstrated benefit.
Claim 3: “There’s no downside to avoiding Tylenol in pregnancy.”
False. Avoiding treatment for fever can pose serious risks to mother and child.
Why it’s false: Fever during pregnancy is linked to miscarriage, birth defects and premature birth. Professional societies such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists warn that discouraging acetaminophen could endanger patients.
What is true: Acetaminophen should be used sparingly and at the lowest effective dose, but it remains an important tool for maternal care.
Trump also asserted that autism does not exist in certain communities or countries, including the Amish and Cuba.
Claim 4: “Autism doesn’t exist in Cuba or among the Amish.”
False. Autism diagnoses are documented in those populations, and WHO representatives reminded reporters that vaccines do not cause autism and that science on acetaminophen and autism is inconsistent and non-causal.
Why it’s false: In Cuba, researchers from the University of Havana and Cuba’s Ministry of Education have documented autism cases since at least the early 2000s, including a 2014 study published in Revista Cubana de Pediatría showing that Cuban teachers demonstrated knowledge of autism comparable to peers in other countries. Cuba also operates multiple schools specifically for children with autism, contradicting Trump’s claim.Among the Amish, Dr. Heng Wang, medical director of the DDC Clinic for Special Needs Children in Middlefield, Ohio, has treated numerous Amish children with autism and published findings in Pediatrics showing the condition is present in Amish communities, though often underdiagnosed due to limited access to medical specialists.
What is true: Autism occurs worldwide across all populations. The rise in diagnoses is attributed primarily to expanded diagnostic criteria and greater awareness rather than geography or lifestyle. Experts including WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević stress that “vaccines do not cause autism” and that denialism undermines trust in science.
The administration also promoted leucovorin, a folinic acid drug used in oncology, as an autism treatment. Here, too, the evidence is limited. Reuters reports that small studies have suggested possible benefits for a subset of children, but experts say large randomized trials are still needed, and there is not good evidence for broad clinical use. NPR’s health desk reported that federal agencies, the FDA, CMS and HHS, proposed label changes and Medicaid coverage despite scant evidence, and the American Psychiatric Association said leucovorin is not recommended to treat autism and requires many more years of research.
The broader scientific picture is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Observational studies can detect associations, but they are limited by confounding and cannot prove that acetaminophen causes autism. That is why regulators in Europe and the United Kingdom, and professional societies in the United States, maintain that acetaminophen can be used during pregnancy when clinically necessary while research continues. It is also why major medical bodies reiterate that vaccines do not cause autism, and that preventing disease through vaccination has saved millions of lives in recent decades.
What readers should take away for now is straightforward: If you are pregnant and have questions about pain or fever control, talk with your clinician.
Use acetaminophen only when needed, at the lowest effective dose and shortest duration. Do not stop or delay medically recommended care because of speculative claims you saw in a press conference or on social media. For autism therapies, be wary of announcements that imply a simple cure. Promising ideas deserve rigorous trials. Until that evidence exists, families should not be sold certainty where the science does not provide it.
References
Reuters. “Trump links autism to Tylenol and vaccines, claims not backed by science.” Sept. 23, 2025.
NPR. “World health officials reject Trump’s claims that Tylenol is linked to autism.” Sept. 23, 2025.
The New York Times, The Morning. “A Fact-Check on Trump’s Claims About Tylenol, Vaccines and Autism.” Sept. 23, 2025.
NPR Shots. “Trump blames Tylenol for autism. Science does not back him up.” Updated Sept. 22, 2025.
MSNBC Opinion. Eric Garcia. “Trump’s announcement linking Tylenol and autism is already doing major damage.” Sept. 23, 2025.
