Trump links paracetamol to ‘horrible crisis’ and ‘meteoric rise’ of autism

President Donald Trump pushed the unproven claim that Tylenol and vaccines are linked to a ‘horrible crisis’ of autism and its ‘meteoric rise’ in the US.

Trump urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol – which is paracetamol in the UK – unless they have very high fevers and they ‘can’t tough it out’.

‘Horrible, horrible crisis,’ Trump said of autism at the start of his remarks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House today.

‘The meteoric rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history.

‘There’s never been anything like this.’

Trump said that autism rates have surged more than 400% since 2000.

‘Instead of attacking those who ask questions, everyone should be grateful to those trying to get answers to this complex situation,’ Trump said.

Trump added that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be issuing a notice that using the drug during pregnancy ‘can be associated with a very increased of autism, so taking Tylenol is not good’.

The president repeatedly said that ‘there is no downside in not taking it’.

‘When you have your baby, don’t give your baby Tylenol’ unless it’s ‘absolutely necessary’, he said.

‘Fight like hell not to take it’.

The president said he had been ‘waiting for this meeting for 20 years’ and met with Robert F Kennedy Jr, now his health and human services secretary, about the issue while he was a real estate developer in New York.

Trump also said that babies are receiving too many vaccines, comparing it to ‘shooting up a horse’.

Speaking after Trump, Kennedy said the FDA is ‘responding to clinical and laboratory studies’ suggesting a possible link between using acetaminophen while pregnant and disorders like autism and ADHD. Tylenol is the best-selling form of acetaminophen in the US.

Kennedy added that the FDA will notify doctors about the risk of acetaminophen to pregnant woman and that drugmakers will be ordered to add safety warnings on the labels.

He said that the National Institutes of Health has been focused ‘almost solely on politically safe and entirely fruitless research’ about what causes autism.

The FDA has also been directed to approve a decades-old generic drug, leucovorin, for patients including someone who have autism. Studied have suggested that leucovorin could help children with autism symptoms, but the benefits still need to be confirmed through more studies.

UK experts have said Trump’s announcement that paracetamol use is ‘linked to autism’ is fearmongering.

Scientists and academics have since slammed the claim, with one saying the claim risks stigmatising families who have autistic children as ‘having brought it on themselves’.

It comes after Trump said on Saturday: ‘I think we found an answer to autism. I mean, for a little baby to be injected with that much fluid, even beyond the actual ingredients, they have sometimes 80 different vaccines in them. It’s crazy.

‘You know that’s a common sense thing too… It’s like you’re shooting up a horse. You have a little body, a little baby, and you’re pumping this big thing. It’s a horrible thing.’

The NHS says paracetamol is the first choice of painkiller if you’re pregnant, and is commonly taken during pregnancy and does not harm your baby.

Dr Monique Botha, associate professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University, added: ‘There are many studies which refute a link, but the most important was a Swedish study of 2.4 million births published in 2024 which used actual sibling data and found no relationship between exposure to paracetamol in utero and subsequent autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.

‘This suggests no causal effect of paracetamol in autism. I am exceptionally confident in saying that no relationship exists.’

Dr Both said that pain relief for pregnant women is already lacking, so ‘fearmongering’ the safe options will make things worse.

Dimitrios Siassakos, professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at University College London and honorary consultant in obstetrics at University College London Hospital (UCLH), said: ‘Autism results from several factors, often combined, particularly genetic predisposition, and sometimes low oxygen at the time of birth as a result of complications.

‘Research has shown that any apparent marginal increase as a result of paracetamol/acetaminophen use in pregnancy tends to disappear when the analyses take into account the factors that matter most.’

Professor Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: ‘Paracetamol has been used safely by millions of people for decades, including during pregnancy, when taken as directed.

‘It is the first-line choice for pain management and fever control in a variety of patients, including pregnant women, children and the elderly.

‘A large study conducted in 2024 found no evidence of a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children.’

Before Trump’s remarks, Kenvue, which markets Tylenol, denied a link between using the pull during pregnancy and autism.

‘We believe independent, sound, science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,’ said Kenvue spokeswoman Melissa Witt.

‘We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.’

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