By BEN CARPENTER
President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered a bombshell today from the White House. Mounting evidence suggests that acetaminophen (commonly sold as Tylenol) may be linked to higher rates of autism when used during pregnancy.
The announcement marks a sharp break from years of government silence on the issue. It also signals the administration’s willingness to challenge entrenched pharmaceutical interests that have long dismissed concerns raised by parents, clinicians, and independent researchers.
A Long-Ignored Signal
For years, studies have pointed to a troubling association between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and increased risks of autism and ADHD. Research published in JAMA Psychiatry, Environmental Health Perspectives, and NIH-backed cohort analyses shows a dose-dependent relationship. The more acetaminophen exposure in utero, the higher the likelihood of a child later being diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disorder.
Elite universities have echoed the warning. Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Mount Sinai researchers have published reviews urging caution and transparency. A 2025 Environmental Health study added biological evidence, finding that acetaminophen disrupts fetal brain development through oxidative stress pathways.
Until today, Washington largely ignored these signals.
Trump and Kennedy’s Agenda
The administration announced three immediate steps during a press conference Monday:
- Federal research funding to aggressively examine acetaminophen’s developmental impact.
- Expansion of Leucovorin trials, a folate-based therapy already showing promise for subsets of children with autism.
- Updated clinical guidance for physicians and expectant mothers weighing the risks of Tylenol use during pregnancy.
Trump framed the move as a commitment to transparency and families. “Parents deserve the truth, not cover-ups. We will not let Big Pharma silence science when children’s futures are at stake.”
Kennedy, a longtime critic of regulatory capture at the FDA and NIH, was blunter. “For too long, the medical establishment has treated concerned parents like conspiracy theorists. Today we begin setting the record straight.”
Breaking the Consensus
Acetaminophen is taken by an estimated 65% of pregnant women. If federal research confirms these risks, public health could face its biggest reevaluation since the government admitted the dangers of tobacco.
Critics may call this political theater. They point to the uncertainty that still surrounds causation. But the administration’s move shifts the burden of proof. Instead of parents defending their instincts, the pharmaceutical industry must explain why red flags were ignored.
The Trump-Kennedy alliance on autism policy represents something larger. It challenges the bipartisan consensus that has long allowed corporate medicine to dictate the debate. With autism rates climbing as high as one in thirty-one children and trust in public health institutions collapsing, today’s announcement may resonate far beyond Tylenol.
Why It Matters
- For Families: Expectant mothers now face new questions about what was once considered the safest pain reliever on the shelf.
- For Medicine: Federal dollars are being redirected toward independent autism research, not just industry-friendly studies.
- For Politics: Trump and Kennedy are rebranding the GOP as the party willing to confront Big Pharma’s taboos. That message is likely to energize parents who feel abandoned by the medical establishment.
This announcement is not just about Tylenol. It is about who Americans trust to tell them the truth about their health, and who has been hiding it.
Ben Carpenter is a former Alaska state legislator, combat veteran, small business owner, and host of the Must Read Alaska Show.
Darn, I should have sold Kenvue short last May!
Nobody ever tells me anything.
Something is indeed ” rotten in Denmark”.
Trump and Bobby Jr thankfully have stood and called attention to the stench of corruption in our midst.
Tyranny , whether in Government or Medicine is incompatible with living in a Constitutional Republic.
In practical application, what is the difference between a drug and a poison?
One you take willingly.
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Seriously, drugs do what, exactly? Alter your body’s chemistry. What do poisons do? The same thing. Dosages are important, but let’s be real here. Every drug ever sold is a poison in low dosages.
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Tylenol is an effective pain medication, but it is also toxic. Severe and potentially lethal liver damage is a well known side effect. And, what does the liver do? Not only does it clean the body of toxins, it also contributes to hormone regulations/storage, bile production, nutrition, blood clotting, and the list goes on.
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Is it reasonable to investigate a correlation between widespread use of a drug, and an increase in autism? Yes, investigate it. Absolutely. And, let the population know there are other pain mediations that may not have this potentially adverse impact in the meantime.
This piece is mildly interesting at best.
Writer Ben Carpenter is listed as “host” of the mrak “show”. Huh?
I thought it was either Faulkner or Brenda Josephson. She is listed as a Board member who must be considered at least as a host. She has published almost as many pieces as the rest of the “senior” contributors” combined.
And since when did MRAK become a “show”? It’ s a Blog. But since many of the pieces being published seem to have a song and dance component to them rather than stimulating content that could lead to a healthy debate, perhaps “ Show” better describes what is being published.
More Faux science from a Faux administration, way to go America.
Faux science? How, exactly?
Last time I checked, science IS the process of questioning everything. Which is exactly what this administration is doing.
Or are you of the opinion that money is what talks, not actual research and investigation?
I question everything these lying charlatans do, and so should you. But of course MAGA never had a critical thinking gene to start with so…..
So, your personal bias against this administration is your proof of faux science.
Got it, you have nothing.
I was a very impressionable young teen when the Thalidomide thing came out in 1961-62. It scared me so bad that I wouldn’t take ANYTHING when I got pregnant years later. I wouldn’t even touch aspirin. I’m having a little problem figuring out the “65% of pregnant women take Tylenol” statistic. Being pregnant can be somewhat uncomfortable but I never felt pain until the birthing process.
Consider the statistic from a different perspective. If over the next 9 months the average person will take Tylenol AND that the average person is not pregnant, you may better see how this occurs. Pregnancy alone is not necessarily the reason for anyone to take acetaminophen.
So, a drug that has been on the market for more than 50 years and that apparently 65% of pregnant women take is responsible for the rapidly increasing (last 10-20 years) of autism cases? And Trump thinks this math adds up that acetaminophen is the cause of this? That it’s this black and white? And now a drug that has been tested on about 3 dozen kids is suddenly approved for a new use. Forget pharmaceutical cover up, this is just voodoo. Do they think doctors are lying when they talk about the risk of fevers to fetuses and expectant mothers? That old corrupt medical establishment system was in part designed to protect the public from hucksters like RFK Jr. and now, apparently the president, who has absolutely zero training in science, let alone medicine. And I doubt he “did his own research”…
My sister took Tylenol during all 3 of her pregnancies due to chronic ankle pain. All three children grew up smart, kind, and able to pronounce acetaminophen.
And… anecdotal evidence proves nothing.
It’s bogus crap like this that gets us in trouble. Read enough studies and you’ll find what matches your agenda. That’s what RFK jr looks like on this. Nope I’m not buying it. It’s BS. He needs to back the hell off finding this reason for autism. He’s giving people false hope and false fear. And the makers of Tylenol can’t sue him for saying this.
Stacey, and you cannot sue the makers of Tylenol for adverse reactions to it. BTW, you cannot sue any of the Big Pharma companies because they have been protected from liability lawsuits by YOUR federal government.
Who profits from all of this? Democrats. Elizabeth Warren gets millions from Big Pharma then goes on her rants about cuts to Medicaid and advocates for free healthcare. Follow the money.
I can’t wait to see how you weigh in on the sudden flurry of crypto deregulation and the Trump Organization’s cornering of a large chunk of the market. Or what about following the $50k Tom Homan accepted? Or what about all of the “alternative therapies” RFK Jr., Alex Jones, and the other anti-vaxxers or hawking?
What is painful truth? Tom Homan accepting 50K is as truthless as Hillary and Obama’s Russian collusion scam.
What about what?
Profits on pills that are less than a dime each? Me following the money says your argument doesn’t hold up.
Correlation does not equal causation, but hey, that never stopped an agenda, right?
Correlation does not equate to causation. You are correct.
However, when you see a correlation it is a place to start an investigation. And if the correlation is strong enough, it is justification for cautioning users of an over the counter drug.
It is called science. The process of questioning what is “known.”
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Why assume an agenda is in play?
For one thing, the drug that they are suggesting that people use to treat autism is sold by a company owned by….wait for it….Dr. Oz. Lord, it’s a miracle!
Also, there was a msssive study from Sweden that looked at incidents of autism within family groups between siblings that did and did not take acetaminophen, and there was zero correlation. This study covered 25 years of epidemiological research. It also shows how cautious one needs to be even implying that correlation is related to causation.
” is sold by a company owned by….wait for it….Dr. Oz.”
Let me remind you that correlation does not equate to causation.
Thanks for playing anyway. I am sure they have some nice consolation prizes for you on the way out.
OK people. Are we going to make this another Ivermectin, another mRNA vaccine, another drug debate where we both take sides based on political orientation, while at the same time knowing really very little about the subject? After all, I doubt that few of us here are epidemiologists, medical scientists, doctors, or medical researchers.
Maybe there is something to RFK’s assertions. Maybe there isn’t.
So how about a call to reason? Let’s review together, and in detail, the research that has been done on the subject, identify any research gaps that exist and close them, and then jointly draw our conclusions.
I for one find RFK less than convincing on this issue – he is, after all, a lawyer, just as I understand that drug companies are capable of being less than honest in the pursuit of profit.
Let’s not make this another pi**ing contest. There is a lot at stake, and maybe just once we can together reach a rational, science-based conclusion on the matter.
I agree totally. Thank Hans. Hopefully others will listen to your logic and reason on this issue.
I find it telling that a call for reason goes without any responses…
I find it interesting that you expect comments to make it through moderations instantly.
I have a brother-in law that ate Tylenol like candy (when we fished) He was a Health Aid in a village.
I told him about the potential damage to the liver.
Shrugged & kept eating them, just as people keep drinking & smoking although they know the risk.
When I heard about Tylenol & liver damage I switched to Bayer Aspirin.
Might be something to pregnant woman doses their ‘bun’ w/ too much Tylenol.
Politics is like kryptonite to anything intelligent. What else is left for it to ruin?
The proof that Trump, RFK Jr, and MAHA allies are using to claim Tylenol causes autism is a paper published in BMC Environmental Health in August. The paper does not prove this, and it isn’t new data. It’s actually a very poor review of existing studies that tries to claim a link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and autism that the studies themselves don’t support. The strongest predictor of autism is genetics. Twin studies show that if one identical twin has ASD, the other has a 90–99% chance as well, compared with 31–67% for fraternal twins. That’s consistent with an average genetic heritability of 83%. Non-twin siblings have about a 20% likelihood of ASD, which is a seven-fold increase over the general population. The likelihood increases further in families with multiple members with ASD. Over 100 genes have been implicated, many involved in early brain development and neural communication. Environmental exposures in a household isn’t a driving factor. And blaming “chemicals” isn’t science — it’s distraction.
If it is only (mostly) genetics then why has Autism skyrocketed in recent decades?
Are people w/ autism “genes” becoming more attracted to each other for some reason?
Well now, for a Conservative blog, it seems telling that the sentiments being expressed in the comments are running pretty strongly against RFK. Could it be that even dyed-in-the-wool MAGA-types know BS when they see it?
No, the MAGA types are independent, and do not automatically and blindly support anything said by their elected officials.
I know it is difficult to see that when one ascribes to a political philosophy that power comes from the leaders, not from the people, but news flash. The folks on the right have brains.
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And, it is sad to see that you just negated any points you made with your comment on the 23rd.
It’s quite possibly BS considering what I’ve heard about good studies done to date, but I remain open-minded. I remember Thalidomide.
Well RFK was a Democrat and then claimed independent when going up against Joe….
Regardless of what RFK claims I still feel a lot more comfort knowing He may be in charge of regulating issues affecting America’s children than a gender confused Dr Rachel Levine from Joe’s alphabet gang from the gay pride era of the White House.
Hold up…
I thought RFK’s thing was that vaccines cause autism? Now it’s Tylenol? Someone must’ve pissed them off.
There is no “mounting” evidence, there is a bunch of conspiracy theorists trying to figure out where the deep state is now that they are in charge.
How, exactly, do you know there is no mounting evidence?
Last time I checked, you were not a medical research scientist. In fact, I doubt you have even read any information about this topic aside from this article.
Frank has twice the amount of hours in science training as RFK Jr. That would equate to zero. In this administration that would mean that he is qualified to be the director of the CDC. Now let’s honor Charlie Kirk’s demand that the Epstein files get released!
So, Frank has zero hours of science training as well.
And, apparently, you have zero hours of math training.
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Now, why exactly do you think the director of an agency MUST be an expert in the field? Do you think they will actually be doing any hands on work? No, the best person to lead an organization is someone who can manage people, and the work, not do the work.
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But, I am sure you do not understand that.
Release the Epstein files!
Autism is caused by the MMR vaccine not Tylenol.
A totally riduculous and unfounded claim.
On March 7, 2017, Tylenol tweeted, “We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns today.”
You see the idiots of TicToc swallowing the Tylenol while they are pregnant Talkeetna about TDS. Evan Tylenol does not recommend taking it while pregnant ! But keep showing how smart you arent.
I can’t wait for Trump to say oxygen is fantastic and people should ensure they get enough of it.
The fact that scientific bodies at HHS and the CDC are now composed of political appointees instead of career scientists should be concerning to anyone with a somewhat developed frontal lobe.
You can always consume more Tylenol if you want. At least this administration is not trying to force you to take something, but rather is signaling a warning.
But if it is of any importance to you, a whole lot of leftoids are taking MORE Tylenol just to spite Trump. That should tell you all you need to know about how dangerous TDS is.
You do you, but in my professional opinion, you should definitely get more boosters, just to be safe. I mean, DON’T take any more boosters.
Hahaha isn’t reverse psychology fun?
So in other words, you have no real thoughtful retort, just attempts at insult. Most unfortunate. Also, how can anyone, much less a presidential administration, force you to take anything? And who exactly has been trying to force Tylenol down anyone’s throats? You clearly aren’t interested in having any real dialogue or conversation.
Good sir, I am but a mirror. I do not provide conversation, I simply provide reflection.
You should take the opportunity to reflect as it is afforded to you.