If you were scrolling through your news feed in late September 2025, you probably saw a headline that made you double-check the year. President Donald Trump, standing alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., stood at a White House podium and dropped a bombshell: he claimed Tylenol—or more specifically, acetaminophen—is linked to the "epidemic" of autism in America.
"Taking Tylenol is not good," Trump told the room. "I'll say it; it's not good."
It was a classic Trump moment. Direct. Jarring. Totally disruptive to the medical status quo. For decades, acetaminophen has been the "safe" drug for pregnant women, the one thing doctors said was okay when a fever or a killer headache hit. Suddenly, the President was telling the world the FDA would be updating labels to warn about a "very increased risk" of autism.
But why now? And where did this come from? It wasn't just a random late-night tweet; it was a calculated policy move backed by the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement.
The MAHA Influence and the September 2025 Presser
To understand why Trump made this claim, you have to look at the people he put in the room. By September 2025, RFK Jr. had become a central figure in Trump’s second-term health policy. Kennedy has spent years talking about environmental toxins and "seed oils" and, most controversially, the potential triggers for neurodevelopmental disorders.
Trump’s rhetoric basically merged with Kennedy’s long-standing skepticism of the pharmaceutical industry. The administration’s argument was that the massive spike in autism diagnoses—now sitting at 1 in 31 children according to the CDC—can't just be explained by "better screening." They wanted a culprit. They found one in the most common drug in the American medicine cabinet.
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During that September 22nd press conference, Trump didn't just stop at pregnancy. He went after the way we treat babies, too. He told parents they shouldn't give their kids a "cup of Tylenol" every time they get a shot. It was a full-scale assault on the standard operating procedure of American pediatrics.
The Science the White House Pointed To
The administration didn't just pull this out of thin air, though the way they presented it was definitely more "vibes" than "peer-reviewed consensus." They leaned heavily on a few specific pieces of research that have been bubbling under the surface for a few years.
- The 2025 Environmental Health Systematic Review: This was a big one for them. Researchers looked at 46 different studies and found that 27 of them showed some kind of link between prenatal Tylenol use and neurodevelopmental issues like ASD or ADHD.
- The 2020 JAMA Psychiatry Study: This study looked at "acetaminophen burden" in umbilical cord blood. It found that higher levels were associated with higher odds of the child eventually being diagnosed with ADHD or autism.
- The Mount Sinai Research: In August 2025, just a month before Trump’s announcement, Mount Sinai released a study supporting the idea that prenatal exposure might alter brain development.
But here is the catch—and it’s a big one. Association is not causation. If you see more umbrellas when it rains, it doesn't mean umbrellas cause rain. Scientists call this "confounding." For example, why does a pregnant woman take Tylenol? Usually because she has a fever or an infection. We already know that high fevers and certain infections during pregnancy can affect fetal brain development. So, is it the Tylenol causing the autism, or is it the underlying fever that the Tylenol was trying to treat?
The Sibling Study That Changed Everything
If you want to know why most doctors were fuming after Trump’s speech, look at the 2024 Swedish study published in JAMA. This was massive—tracking 2.4 million children.
The researchers did something clever: they used "sibling control." They looked at two siblings where the mother took Tylenol during one pregnancy but not the other. If the drug was the cause, you’d expect the "exposed" sibling to have a much higher risk.
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The result? The link completely vanished.
When you account for the family’s genetics and the home environment, Tylenol didn't seem to do anything. This suggested that whatever was "causing" the autism risk in earlier studies was likely something the siblings shared (like genetics or the mother's health history), not the Tylenol itself.
Why This Claim Still Sticks
Even though the "sibling study" exists, the Trump administration chose to highlight the studies that did show a link. Why? Honestly, it fits the broader MAHA narrative that the "captured" FDA and big pharma companies like Kenvue (who make Tylenol) are ignoring risks to protect their bottom line.
By late 2025, this had become a massive partisan divide. A KFF poll found that while only 4% of people were certain the link was true, over 56% of Republicans believed it was at least "probably" true. Meanwhile, 59% of Democrats called the claim "definitely false."
It turned a medical question into a political identity marker.
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The Fallout: Lawsuits and "The Soften"
The impact was immediate. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol almost immediately after Trump’s comments, claiming they "lied for decades."
But then, something weird happened. By October 2025, even RFK Jr. started to walk it back a little. In a late October interview, he admitted the evidence wasn't "sufficient" to say Tylenol definitely caused autism. He shifted the message from "Tylenol is poison" to "maybe talk to your doctor and use the lowest dose possible."
What You Should Actually Do
If you’re pregnant or a parent, this kind of political-medical crossfire is terrifying. You don't want to hurt your kid, but you also don't want to suffer through a 103-degree fever that could actually cause a miscarriage or birth defects.
Here is the grounded, non-political reality of where we are in 2026:
- Fever is the real enemy. If you are pregnant and run a high fever, that is a medical emergency for the baby. Acetaminophen is still the most recommended way to bring that fever down because NSAIDs like ibuprofen are known to cause heart and kidney issues in fetuses.
- The "Prudent Use" Rule. Almost every major medical body, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), says you should use the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible time. Don't pop them like candy for minor aches, but don't fear them if you're actually sick.
- Check the Label. The FDA did start moving toward more descriptive labeling following the 2025 announcement. This doesn't mean the drug is "banned," but it does mean there's a higher emphasis on "medically necessary" use.
- Consult, Don't Panic. If you’re worried, talk to your OB-GYN. They’ve seen the Swedish studies, they’ve seen the Trump presser, and they can help you weigh your specific risks.
The bottom line? Trump said Tylenol causes autism because it fit a specific political goal of challenging the medical establishment and tapping into the very real concerns of parents who want answers. But the "answers" aren't as simple as a single pill.
Practical Next Steps:
- Audit your medicine cabinet: If you are pregnant, ensure you only use acetaminophen when absolutely necessary (fever, severe pain) rather than for mild discomfort.
- Monitor Fever: Invest in a high-quality digital thermometer; if your temperature exceeds 100.4°F during pregnancy, contact your doctor immediately to discuss the safest way to lower it.
- Read the 2024 JAMA Swedish Study: Familiarize yourself with the "sibling control" findings to understand why many doctors still view the Tylenol-autism link as unproven.
- Follow FDA Updates: Keep an eye on the official FDA "Drug Safety Communications" for any formal changes to acetaminophen labeling requirements in 2026.