U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday urged pregnant women and parents to avoid using Tylenol and cautioned against routine childhood vaccinations, reviving claims that scientists and health agencies have repeatedly rejected.
In a White House news conference, Trump advised against acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and suggested that vaccines should not be given together or administered too early in life. “I want to say it like it is, don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it,” he said. The president also argued for splitting the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine into separate doses and delaying the hepatitis B shot, which is normally given at birth.
Trump’s comments drew immediate criticism from medical groups. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and autism advocacy organizations warned that his statements risked spreading misinformation. “The data cited do not support the claim that Tylenol causes autism and leucovorin is a cure, and only stoke fear and falsely suggest hope when there is no simple answer,” the Coalition of Autism Scientists said.
Standing alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine critic, Trump also promoted leucovorin, a folinic acid treatment normally used in cancer care, as a potential therapy for autism symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration later said it would expand production and consider Medicaid coverage for the drug, even though researchers caution that only small, inconclusive studies exist.
Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, rejected the president’s claims. “We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers and parents,” the company said in a statement.
Britain’s health regulator also reaffirmed that paracetamol, as the drug is known in Europe, remains safe during pregnancy.
Markets reacted swiftly, with Kenvue shares tumbling more than 7% before recovering 5% in late trading. Analysts at Citi said the rebound reflected the absence of new scientific evidence. The stock remains down 14% since early September when reports surfaced that Kennedy planned to push an acetaminophen-autism link.
The Food and Drug Administration announced it would seek new labeling for Tylenol and generic versions, warning of a possible association between prenatal exposure and neurological conditions such as autism and ADHD. Still, the agency acknowledged no causal relationship has been proven.
Recent studies underscore that uncertainty. A 2024 Swedish study of 2.5 million children found no evidence that prenatal Tylenol exposure causes autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. A 2025 review of 46 studies suggested a possible link, but researchers from Harvard, Mount Sinai, and other institutions said the findings did not prove causation and urged pregnant women to continue using acetaminophen when medically necessary, at the lowest effective dose.
Experts condemned the administration’s stance. “Without showing any evidence to back them up, the announcements become reckless and potentially harmful,” said Dr. Diana Schendel of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. Autism specialist Dr. Audrey Brumback of the University of Texas at Austin added that leucovorin trials remain too small and weak to justify its use as a treatment.
Scientists stressed that vaccines are safe, noting they have eradicated diseases such as polio and measles in the United States. UNICEF USA estimates childhood vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years.
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