The Trump administration is slated to reveal two potential causes of autism during a White House event scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Two senior administration officials who spoke with Politico, but were not identified by the news outlet, said President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will first announce that Tylenol use during pregnancy can contribute to an autism diagnosis after the child is born.
Trump and RFK will also reportedly announce that a deficiency in the vitamin folate, also known as B9, can also contribute to an autism diagnosis, Politico reported.
🚨 President Trumps major announcement regarding autism is scheduled at 4PM ET. pic.twitter.com/dtelfTOGRn
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) September 22, 2025
Kennedy told Trump during a cabinet meeting in April that his agency would have a report about the cause of autism’s explosion in the U.S. population by this month.
In a statement on Sunday, according to Newsweek, White House spokesman Kush Desai said Monday’s White House event is part of Trump’s commitment to fighting autism.
“President Trump pledged to address America’s rising rate of autism, and to do so with Gold Standard Science,” Desai said in the statement. “Tomorrow’s announcement will make historic progress on both commitments.”
The Tylenol angle has been cited in studies before.
Tylenol Use in Pregnancy Linked to 3x Higher Autism and ADHD Risk
A Johns Hopkins study of umbilical cord blood found that babies with the highest acetaminophen exposure were three times more likely to be diagnosed with autism or ADHD.
This wasn’t fringe science—it came from… pic.twitter.com/BX6zD8rmeU
— Epoch Health (@epochhealth) September 22, 2025
One study published in the journal BMC Environmental Health last month and co-authored by the dean of Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health concluded that “[a]ppropriate and immediate steps should be taken to advise pregnant women to limit acetaminophen consumption to protect their offspring’s neurodevelopment.”
Acetaminophen is the name of the active drug in Tylenol.
“We recommend judicious acetaminophen use — lowest effective dose, shortest duration — under medical guidance, tailored to individual risk-benefit assessments, rather than a broad limitation,” the study stated.
The company that produces Tylenol wasn’t happy with the administration’s plans.
In a statement to Politico, a representative of Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol and other drugs, denied any link between acetaminophen and autism. The statement said that discouraging pregnant women from using Tylenol could force them to rely on even riskier painkillers instead.
“The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism,” the statement said.
“We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree. We will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children.”
According to a CBS News report Monday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement arguing there is “no clear evidence” linking Tylenol to autism.
“Neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular, are multifactorial and very difficult to associate with a singular cause,” the statement said. “Pregnant patients should not be frightened away from the many benefits of acetaminophen, which is safe and one of the few options pregnant people have for pain relief.”
In dealing with the folate, or vitamin B9, element, the Trump administration reportedly intends to recommend the drug Leucovorin for folate deficiency.
“Leucovorin … is chemically related to vitamin B9, or folate. It is prescribed to cancer patients going through chemotherapy,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
“It is well-established that vitamin B9 helps the brain and spinal cord develop in the early embryo. Pregnant women who take vitamin B9 supplements are less likely to have children with spinal-cord birth defects, or autism, studies have shown,” the Journal’s reporting continued.
The Journal also cited the research of Dr. Richard Frye, who’s found that some autistic children have folate deficiencies.
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