Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was mocked Thursday after suggesting a link between early circumcision and autism.
“There’s two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism,” Kennedy said during a cabinet meeting hosted Thursday afternoon by President Donald Trump. “It’s highly likely because they were given Tylenol.”
Kennedy did not provide further information about the studies, but one appears to be a Danish study from 2015.
Researchers found that study was “flawed” in an article published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
“Most likely, both autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and early circumcision reflect parental conscientiousness,” the researchers wrote.
Kennedy’s suggestion comes more than two weeks after he stood with Trump when the president announced unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without giving new evidence.
Speaking from the White House, Trump said women should not take acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, “during the entire pregnancy.” He said the Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism, but did not immediately provide any medical evidence for the FDA’s new recommendation.
Kennedy’s latest theory left critics scratching their heads.
The Republicans against Trump account on X had a simple reply: “Wut.”
Liberal influencer JoJofromJerz, real name Joanne Carducci, dismissed Kennedy’s suggestion.
“This motherf—– cut the head off a f—— whale,” she tweeted.
The popular X account Spiro’s Ghost, which has more than 240,000 followers, gave a similar response.
“WHAT THE F—!!!!!!” the account tweeted.