Trump Links Tylenol to Autism in White House Speech, Calls for Warning Labels

President Donald J. Trump delivered what he described as “the biggest medical announcement in U.S. history,” linking the use of paracetamol (known in the United States under the brand name Tylenol) to autism risk and urging Americans to avoid the drug. He also recommended stretching childhood vaccinations over several years and delaying the hepatitis B vaccine until age 12 positions at odds with public health authorities in the United States and abroad.

The remarks, delivered from the White House with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at his side, immediately drew sharp responses from pharmaceutical companies, medical associations, and scientific experts. Supporters, meanwhile, celebrated the speech as a turning point in the fight against what they describe as corporate control of medicine.

Trump’s Claims and Kennedy’s Role

Mr. Trump said that “taking paracetamol is best avoided among people of all ages,” arguing that the rise in autism diagnoses is “alarming” and tied in part to prenatal exposure to acetaminophen, the drug’s active ingredient. He said that safety labels would be placed on all U.S. products containing acetaminophen, a move confirmed by Mr. Kennedy, who has long campaigned for warnings about environmental and pharmaceutical exposures.

The president also promoted leucovorin, a form of folinic acid, as a potential treatment to improve speech and communication in some children with autism, particularly those with folate deficiencies. While leucovorin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for cerebral folate deficiency, its role in autism treatment remains unproven outside small clinical trials.

Mr. Kennedy, a longtime critic of pharmaceutical companies, framed the new guidance as part of his effort to hold industry accountable, telling reporters that regulators had been too slow to act.

Vaccine Remarks Draw Fire

The most controversial part of Mr. Trump’s address involved vaccines. He advised parents to “break up” the vaccine schedule, spreading shots over a four- to five-year period rather than following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s timetable, which clusters immunizations in the first two years of life.

Mr. Trump also recommended delaying the hepatitis B vaccine until children reach age 12, arguing that because the virus is most often sexually transmitted, infants are at little risk.

Public health officials swiftly warned that such advice could leave children vulnerable to serious illness. The CDC recommends hepatitis B vaccination at birth, in part to protect against mother-to-child transmission. Doctors also note that delaying other vaccines exposes children to measles, pertussis and other diseases at their most dangerous stages.

What the Science Shows

Research into acetaminophen and autism has produced mixed findings. Some cohort studies have reported associations between prenatal exposure and higher odds of autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. A 2025 review from Mount Sinai found a 20 to 30 percent increased risk in some cases.

But larger and more rigorous studies, including a 2024 sibling-control study of 2.5 million Swedish children published in JAMA, found no causal link once genetic and environmental confounders were taken into account. Most medical bodies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, continue to regard acetaminophen as safe during pregnancy when used as directed.

The same pattern holds with vaccines. Large-scale epidemiological research has consistently shown no association between vaccination schedules and autism. The “too many, too soon” theory, which Mr. Trump echoed, has been tested and found unsupported. Public health officials emphasize that spacing vaccines out over years does not improve safety and instead increases the risk of outbreaks.

Industry and Expert Response

Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, rejected the president’s claims as “unsubstantiated,” stressing that acetaminophen remains one of the most studied and widely used pain relievers in the world. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC that the link to autism was “not supported by evidence.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics urged parents to follow established vaccine schedules, warning that delayed immunization has already contributed to resurgences of measles and whooping cough. The World Health Organization issued a statement underscoring that acetaminophen “remains the preferred option” for managing fever in pregnancy.

Populist Support and Political Stakes

On social media, however, the announcement was met with celebration among Mr. Trump’s supporters. The hashtag #MAHA — Make America Healthy Again trended on X (formerly Twitter), with users describing the speech as a long-overdue reckoning with Big Pharma. Clips of the president’s remarks were shared widely, often accompanied by commentary that pharmaceutical denials were proof of a cover-up.

For critics, the speech risks undermining decades of public health guidance, sowing confusion among parents and patients. For supporters, it represents a rare political leader willing to confront pharmaceutical companies and regulators.

The Bottom Line

Mr. Trump’s autism announcement has set the stage for a high-stakes confrontation between the White House, Big Pharma, and the medical establishment. Warning labels on acetaminophen, new scrutiny of leucovorin, and the president’s vaccine comments will ignite debate in courts, clinics, and Congress.

For now, families are caught between dueling narratives: a populist movement that sees corporate concealment everywhere, and a medical consensus that views the president’s claims as unproven and potentially dangerous.