Trump claims links between taking acetaminophen in pregnancy to autism

President Donald Trump’s administration has introduced controversial health guidance connecting use of acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy with an increased risk of autism in children. At a White House event alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump urged expectant mothers to avoid acetaminophen unless absolutely necessary. Experts immediately pushed back noting that current scientific evidence does not confirm a causal link between the drug and autism.

In the same announcement the administration said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will approve leucovorin, a folinic acid drug, as a therapy for a specific subgroup of autism where cerebral folate deficiency (CFD) is present. Leucovorin is not being promoted as a cure for autism overall, but as a treatment for symptoms in those who have CFD.

Medical communities and public health experts have raised concerns about the implications of telling pregnant women not to use standard painrelievers without strong evidence. They caution that fever and pain during pregnancy also carry risks. Meanwhile the announcement has reignited debate over autism’s rising diagnosis rates, contributing factors, and how best to balance precaution, research, and public health messaging.