What you need to know about Trump and RFK Jr.’s “big announcement” on autism
RFK Jr is set to give his long-awaited report on what is behind the US’s “autism epidemic” but his critics say he’s cherry picked the data.
The public will finally get to see RFK Jr’s report on what is behind the US’s “autism epidemic” on Monday. For years the current Department of Human and Health Services Secretary has blamed vaccines for causing autism, something that has been debunked by research.
While it is expected that he may mention vaccines in his announcement, earlier this month the Wall Street Journal reported that his agency was looking into Tylenol use during pregnancy as a contributing factor. It is also expected that he will tout a potential treatment for autism, a drug called leucovorin.
RFK Jr’s autism report based on past research
RFK Jr said at a cabinet meeting in April that he would announce in September that “we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.” Those remarks raised concerns as it typically requires years of research to accurately find links.
His findings will reportedly be based on past research, specifically investigations into links between acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, and autism. These include reviews in August from Mount Sinai and Harvard researchers according to The Washington Post that suggest a possible link between this commonly used painkiller during early pregnancy and an increased risk of autism.
Reportedly, health officials will warn against the use of Tylenol early on in pregnancies unless pregnant women have a fever stated the newspaper, according to four individuals.
RFK Jr is “looking at poor data and he’s making a mountain out of a mole hill”
Dr Vin Gupta though told MSNBC’s Morning Joe that RFK Jr’s report “is one in a long line of what Kennedy does really well. He reprises this playbook of taking half-truths, or low-quality data claiming that others are hiding information and then committing precious resources in this faux attempt at transparency.”
He said that twenty years ago there were some studies that did find a very small link between Tylenol and autism but they were poorly designed. Today the research is better and now “we know the true risk factors for autism are environmental risk factors like exposure to air pollution, genetic risk factors, maternal health, age of parents at pregnancy.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s big “medical breakthrough” announcement tomorrow on Tylenol use during pregnancy causing Autism, it’s not true.
— Dr. Vin Gupta (@VinGuptaMD) September 22, 2025
Another example of this admin cherry picking data from years ago, ignoring the best research, and then claiming they are white knights. pic.twitter.com/TqrWiHzvIF
He mentioned a recent “sibling-controlled” study from Sweden that looked at data from the past 25 years and covered some 2.5 million children. It found that there was no link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and autism.
“So the best quality data shows no link. He’s looking at poor data and he’s making a mountain out of a mole hill,” Dr Vin Gupta concluded.
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