The White House took a victory lap on Wednesday over a social media post officials framed as a vindication of concerns that the active ingredient in Tylenol could lead to an increased autism risk in children if used during pregnancy. 

President Donald Trump, along with senior officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, weathered intense criticism from members of the medical establishment earlier this week after advising pregnant women to stay away from Tylenol due to such concerns.  

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In the wake of the blowback, the Trump administration highlighted a 2017 post that resurfaced from Tylenol telling users, “We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant.” 

The White House reposted the statement with a photo of the president wearing a red hat emblazoned with the words “Trump was right about everything.”

HHS also sought to capitalize on Tylenol’s message. “No caption needed,” the department wrote in a statement to X, reposting the company’s 2017 warning. 

The Trump administration has cited federally funded studies, including research from Harvard University, regarding possible links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and having children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders. The government has pointed to a statement from leading Harvard researcher Andrea Baccarelli agreeing there is “an association” between exposure to acetaminophen during pregnancy and “increased incidence” of autism and other disorders in children.

It also pointed to a 2019 National Institutes of Health-funded study published by Johns Hopkins University that concluded children whose umbilical cord blood samples contained the highest levels of acetaminophen were roughly three times more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder later in childhood. 

However, the HHS has conceded that there is conflicting literature on the claims and did not issue an advisory ban against recommending Tylenol use during pregnancy on Monday.

Right-wing personalities and allies of the Trump administration, including Calley Means, who is close to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have implied that pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson had “sketchy” reasons for spinning off its consumer health unit, which includes brands it owned for decades, such as Tylenol, into a separate independent company known as Kenvue. 

They have raised concerns over the timing of the 2023 spinoff, which occurred around the same period the company faced possible liabilities from lawsuits alleging that acetaminophen use in pregnancy is linked to autism and ADHD. 

Means blasted the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for releasing a statement criticizing the Trump administration for voicing concerns about pregnant women using Tylenol and suggesting the move undermined “more than two decades of research.” 

He accused the premier health group of hypocrisy, arguing the statement belied the ACOG’s position in 2013 when the organization highlighted a study saying acetaminophen use in pregnancy was linked to children’s developmental delays.

“It is the breathtaking lack of humility and curiosity from our medical leaders when US children have the highest rates of autism, cancer, autoimmune conditions, prediabetes, obesity, and depression of any society in human history — while we pay more for healthcare than any country ever,” Means wrote. “The response from the medical industry is that any questioning about a better way is ‘anti-science.’”

Some Republican lawmakers have expressed skepticism about the administration’s concerns about certain Tylenol usage, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (SD) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (LA), who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. 

TYLENOL AND AUTISM: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SAFETY RISK IN PREGNANCY

“There are studies out there that they reference,” Thune said of the administration’s announcement during a Wednesday interview with CNN. “But again, I think there are an awful lot of people in the medical community who come to a different conclusion about the use of Tylenol. My view is we ought to be very guarded in making broad assertions and make sure that they are well grounded in science and medicine, and where we’re taking the consultation advice of experts in the field and ensuring that these things are all well documented.”

Other leading Republican figures, such as conservative commentator Meghan McCain, have come to the Trump administration’s defense. GOP lawmakers such as Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (FL) and Nancy Mace (SC) have also called for pregnant women to stop taking Tylenol.