Trump Claims Tylenol Causes Autism, Declares ‘Life Is Common Sense’ in Press Conference with RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz

The Trump administration announced Monday that autism is caused by using Tylenol during pregnancy, sparking strong pushback from health experts.

Speaking at a press conference on Sept. 22, President Donald Trump stood alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Dr. Mehmet Oz. Trump said autism rates prove “there’s something artificial” and claimed groups like the Amish and people in Cuba have little to no autism because they do not use Tylenol.

Trump said the Food and Drug Administration will no longer recommend Tylenol during pregnancy except in cases where women cannot “tough it out.” He added that parents should avoid giving Tylenol to children as well, calling autism “artificially induced.”

“Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump said, clarifying that the opinion was his own and not an official statement from the doctors beside him.

Many medical experts disagree. “People have been taking Tylenol since 1960, and there’s a very long history of safety here,” said Dr. Karam Radwan, Director of the UChicago Medicine Neurodevelopmental Clinic, in a statement to PEOPLE.

Trump’s comments are connected to a study published in Environmental Health in August, which reviewed earlier research. The study suggested a “positive association” between prenatal exposure to acetaminophen — Tylenol’s main ingredient — and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. However, the authors also wrote that their findings “cannot establish causation for any single exposure.”

Dr. Radwan explained that pregnant women who take Tylenol often do so because of infections, inflammation, or other health problems. Those conditions, rather than Tylenol itself, may explain the link to autism.

Secretary Kennedy, who had previously pledged to identify the cause of autism by September, also drew controversy. Earlier this year, he faced backlash after saying people with autism would “never pay taxes” or “never play baseball.” Kennedy has also promoted the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. He has since announced plans to create a national registry of people with autism using private medical records.

Trump first hinted at the Tylenol announcement the day before, while speaking at a memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Glendale, Arizona. He told the audience his administration had “found an answer to autism” and promised it would be “one of the biggest announcements, medically, in the history of our country.”

In response, Tylenol’s parent company Kenvue defended the safety of the drug. “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise,” a company spokesperson said.

They added that acetaminophen is considered the safest pain reliever for pregnant women when needed, and warned that avoiding it could put both mothers and babies at risk from untreated conditions like fever.

The company concluded, “Over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism. We will continue to protect the health interests of women and children.”