On Monday, President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced findings into the concerning spike in national autism rates, labeling one medication as a potential cause of autism, and another as a potential treatment.
It was announced that use of acetaminophen during pregnancy is tied to an increased risk in autism. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol, one of the most widely used medications globally for pain relief and fever reduction.
“Taking Tylenol is not good. I’ll say it. It’s not good,” Trump said, noting that it might be necessary if a pregnant woman spikes a very high fever. “There’s a lot of common sense in this.”
Trump also talked about vaccinations, saying he believes vaccines need to be spread out over a child’s life, suggesting what’s known as a “delayed schedule.” However, vaccines were not touched on by Kennedy or other health leaders at the presser.
???? BREAKING: President Trump just announced a link between TYLENOL and AUTISM — especially when taken during pregnancy
FDA is now recommending pregnant women don’t take Tylenol except in cases of extremely high fevers
Nor should Tylenol be frequently administered to young… pic.twitter.com/odBhSl7pgZ
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 22, 2025
Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, said in a statement, “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.”
Since early September, the Kenvue stock has dropped around 15%.
It was also revealed that the drug leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, can potentially help treat autism symptoms. A physician will need to prescribe the drug for this use.
The Daily Wire’s Morning Wire podcast host Georgia Howe spoke to FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary on Monday about this announcement. He emphasized that it’s vitally important to let the public know about this potential association.
“We have an epidemic of autism that has increased 400% in the recent decades and we don’t have a known cause,” he explained. “Now this may be a cause, but when you have enough evidence to suggest an association and you have no other plausible cause, we have a duty to notify parents and doctors.”
Makary has already sent out a “Dear doctor” letter to all U.S. physicians, he said.
The Trump Administration’s Autism Action Plan pic.twitter.com/5aY5huzg8x
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 22, 2025
“We now have good data from large studies and the Harvard School of Public Health Dean has made a very conclusive statement that he believes the association is causal,” Makary explained. “So when you have that weight of evidence, you have to take it seriously and err on the side of safety, especially since the vast majority of low grade fevers do not need to be treated.”
On the issue of treating autism symptoms with leucovorin, Makary said the drug has been around for nearly a century. However, “only recently have we recognized that some kids with autism actually have an autoimmune disease,” he explained. “The mechanism may be that the body is creating antibodies that block the folate receptors on their brain, restricting the ability of folate to get into the cerebrum. And so what that does is it actually creates a situation where you could have high levels of folate in your diet.”
Back in April, Kennedy promised his findings on autism would be dropped this month. He said at the time that new data showed that autism now affects 1 in 31 children in the U.S. – that’s nearly five times higher than when the CDC started these surveys back in 1992. Even more troubling, Kennedy also said a lot of these cases are now severe. “25% of the kids diagnosed with autism are non-verbal, non-toilet trained, have other stereotypical features: head banging, tactile and light sensitivities, stimming, toe-walking, etc.,” he said.
“Secretary Kennedy is asking questions that the American people are asking,” Makary told Morning Wire. “And so we have this odd new political landscape that’s penetrated science where you’re supposedly not allowed to ask certain questions. It’s created a tremendous amount of distrust. But I can tell you the purpose of science itself is to investigate questions.”
You can watch the announcement, below:
Today, President Trump and RFK Jr. announce what they describe as a historic autism breakthrough—linking prenatal medication use to increased risk and proposing a new treatment path. This unprecedented claim could reshape medicine and ignite fierce debate. https://t.co/v0fo5xyZ3w
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) September 22, 2025