Trump to make major announcement on autism today, calls it 'biggest medical breakthrough'

US President Donald Trump Sunday teased what he called a "very important" announcement on autism, sparking speculations about a fresh controversy over health claims. Speaking at a memorial event for conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona, Trump told the audience, “I think we found an answer to autism,” calling the forthcoming disclosure “one of the most important things that we will do.” He claimed it would be “one of the biggest announcements really medically I think in the history of our country.”

At an Oval Office event on Monday, the US president will reportedly advise pregnant women in the US to only take Tylenol, known as paracetamol elsewhere, to relieve high fevers. Some studies have shown a link between pregnant women taking Tylenol and autism, but these findings are inconsistent and do not prove the drug causes autism, reports BBC.

Tylenol is a popular brand of pain relief medication sold in the United States, Canada and some other countries. Its active ingredient is acetaminophen, which is called paracetamol outside North America.


"President Donald Trump plans to announce that using Tylenol during pregnancy could contribute to autism risk and will advise pregnant women only to use it, or generic acetaminophen, for high fevers," Politico reported, quoting two Trump administration officials.

Autism answer found, says Trump

Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is expected to be blamed, Trump said where he suggested vaccine skeptic Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has “found an answer to autism.” On Friday, Trump said that autism was "totally out of control" in the US, adding, "I think we, maybe, have a reason why."

Trump unleashed a surreal rant about children being injected with “massive” vaccines similar to ones “you’d give to a horse.” Trump said vaccines “can be great” unless you “put the wrong stuff in them.”

“Children get these massive vaccines like you’d give to a horse… like you’d give to a horse," he added.

“And I’ve said for a long time, I mean, this is no secret, spread them out over five years. Get five shots, small ones. You ever see what they get they get? I mean, for a little baby to be injected with that much fluid, even beyond the actual ingredients, they have sometimes 80 different vaccines in them. It’s crazy.”

Trump, Kennedy have in the past suggested connections between autism, vaccines and other medications despite a lack of scientific evidence. Health experts and researchers have consistently rejected such claims as unfounded and potentially harmful.

Tylenol maker Kenvue has defended the use of the drug in pregnant women.

In a statement to the BBC, it said: "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."

Kennedy claimed in Tuesday’s meeting that the latest figures show that more than one in every 13 boys born in America is diagnosed now with autism. The figure seemed to shock Trump.

“It has gone from less than one in 10,000 in 1971 to one in 12.5 boys,” Kennedy said. Trump, in shock, cut him off.

"Think of those numbers,” Trump said. “There has to be something artificially causing this, meaning a drug or something, and I know you’re looking very strongly at different things, and I hope you can come out with that as soon as possible.”

He continued, “Can you imagine that? One in 12, that’s for a boy. It’s not even believable that that could be, and that was one in 10,000, not so long ago. I’ve been hearing these numbers, and they get worse and worse every year. There has got to be something.”

Trump added that “I think we maybe know the reason” for the autism spike. He hinted that the administration’s official explanation will come in Kennedy’s yet-to-be-announced news conference next month.