Most headlines focused on Trump’s repeated warning to pregnant Americans to avoid taking Tylenol, based on what he called a “link” to autism — a connection that has never been scientifically proven. But his remarks went far beyond acetaminophen.
Trump questioned the long-proven safety of the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, urged Americans to split it into three separate shots — an option that isn’t even available in the U.S. — and floated the false idea that it might be “dangerous.” Doctors were quick to point out that the MMR vaccine has been safe and effective for decades and that studies have repeatedly found no connection to autism.
He also claimed newborns don’t need a hepatitis B shot, saying the disease is “sexually transmitted” and urging parents to wait until age 12. Infectious disease specialists warn that this advice is dangerous — hepatitis B can be passed from mother to child at birth and even through shared household items like razors or toothbrushes. Babies infected with hepatitis B face a much higher risk of chronic liver disease and cancer later in life.
Trump didn’t stop there. He exaggerated the number of vaccines children receive (“80 different vaccines from a vat,” he said) and wrongly suggested they are all given in a single visit. In reality, U.S. children receive about 20–30 shots in the first 15 months of life, spread across several doctor visits, with each vaccine carefully prepared and administered.
The combination MMR vaccine has been safe and effective for decades
He also invoked the Amish and Cuba as supposed examples of low autism prevalence — ignoring the fact that both groups do have autism cases, and that lower autism numbers in some countries are often the result of underdiagnosis, not absence of the condition.
And while autism diagnoses have risen significantly in recent decades — now about 1 in 31 children — Trump grossly understated how common it was two decades ago, when prevalence was already far higher than the “1 in 10,000” figure he cited.
Public health experts stress that vaccine schedules are designed to protect children as early as possible against life-threatening diseases — and that spreading misinformation about vaccines and autism puts children’s health at risk.
Misuse of Amish and Cuba as Examples
In another part of the press conference, Trump pointed to the Amish as a group that “don’t take vaccines” and “have essentially no autism.” Experts say both claims are misleading. Vaccination rates in Amish communities are indeed lower than the national average, but they are not zero. And autism does exist within the Amish population, though systematic data collection is limited.
Trump also claimed that Cuba “has virtually no autism,” attributing it to a supposed lack of Tylenol. In fact, generic paracetamol (Tylenol’s active ingredient) is widely available in Cuba, though occasional shortages occur. The country does report autism cases, but like many lower-income nations, its prevalence rates are likely undercounted due to limited diagnostic resources.
Autism Prevalence Over Time
Finally, Trump exaggerated how rare autism was “18 years ago,” claiming it was 1 in 10,000 at the time. Data from the early 2000s show it was much higher — closer to 1 in 150 children in 2000 and 1 in 125 by 2004. Experts attribute the rise in autism prevalence primarily to improved awareness, screening, and diagnostic practices, not to vaccines or medications.