U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) fact-checked President Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday linking acetaminophen usage in pregnancy to autism.
Trump promoted unproven ties between Tylenol, the name brand for acetaminophen, and autism in children during a long-winded press conference on Monday night. Cassidy, a physician, emphasized on social media platform X that Trump’s claims are not backed by evidence.
Cassidy said while he appreciates that Trump is trying to address autism, the claim linking the brain disorder to Tylenol is not backed by research.
“I understand and applaud President Trump’s desire to address this issue and to support HHS. HHS should release the new data that it has to support this claim,” Cassidy wrote on X.
“The preponderance of evidence shows that this is not the case. The concern is that women will be left with no options to manage pain in pregnancy. We must be compassionate to this problem,” he continued.
The president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Trump’s announcement is “not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children.”
“Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy,” the president, Steven J. Fleischman, said in a statement.
During his press conference, Trump urged pregnant women to not take Tylenol despite the drug being widely recommended by doctors to treat fevers and pain during pregnancy. He told pregnant women to “fight like hell” to avoid taking the drug.”
“Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women around a dozen times during the unwieldy White House news conference, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen in the U.S. or paracetamol in most other countries. He also fueled long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccines or timing shots close together could contribute to rising rates of autism in the U.S., without providing any medical evidence.
The rambling announcement, which appeared to rely on existing studies rather than significant new research, comes as the Make America Healthy Again movement has been pushing for answers on the causes of autism. The diverse coalition of supporters of Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. includes several anti-vaccine activists who have long spread debunked claims that immunizations are responsible.
The announcement also sheds light on Trump’s own long-held fascination with autism and his trepidation about the childhood vaccine schedule, even as the president has taken pride in his work to disseminate COVID-19 vaccines during his first term.