On Sept. 22, 2025, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in a speech on scientific advancements in the cause and treatment of autism. Trump made bold claims on several medical and biological topics. Trump is no doctor; he has no scientific background, but in his speech, he portrays himself as one, making claims and giving medical advice despite a lack of evidence to support his outlandish assertions. 

Trump’s speech on autism stemmed from a promise made by United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In April 2025, Kennedy announced that, “by September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.” 

Let’s get the basics out of the way first: autism is not an epidemic. Autism diagnoses have indeed spiked over the past 20 years, but according to Autism Speaks, the increase is due to a broader understanding and more testing of autism. Autism diagnoses used to be black and white; you had it or you didn’t. The autism spectrum, which started in the 1990s, expanded the criteria for a diagnosis and strengthened them. 

Trump kicked the speech off by introducing two other speakers: “We’re delighted to be joined by America’s top medical and public health professionals.” The speaker on his right was Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who, by the way, isn’t a doctor – kind of weird for the guy who’s supposed to be leading all the other doctors. The man on Trump’s left was none other than Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former talk show host and notorious for making claims on drugs without proper evidence (but at least he’s a doctor). 

Before revealing the big announcement on autism, Trump claimed that “the Amish… have essentially no autism.” The Amish are notoriously remote and are less likely to get professionally tested for autism. It is kind of difficult to tell whether a person has autism or not if they never get tested for it.  

After his questionable commentary on the Amish, Trump made an even bolder claim on the cause of the spike in autism diagnoses. “Tylenol during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.” So, I guess Ibuprofen is considered MAGA now? Tylenol may just be the first woke drug. Trump’s claim, although wrong, does have some aspect of truth in it. 

There is a correlation between acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) usage during pregnancy and a spike in autism diagnoses, but correlation does not mean causation. No evidence clearly indicates that one thing causes another. Funny enough, the number of movies Will Smith appears in and electricity generation in Kosovo correlate strongly with each other, but it would be illogical to say that one causes the other. This is a fundamental principle of research and data collection, but I guess Trump just wasn’t in the know. 

After his bash on Tylenol, Trump started ranting about vaccines. In a national address concerning serious medical topics, Trump, a man with no medical education, started blabbering on about his personal view on when and how vaccines should be taken. Trump claimed that “Hepatitis B is sexually transmitted. There’s no reason to give a baby that’s almost just born Hepatitis B.” First off, Hepatitis B is not just sexually transmitted. It’s transmitted through bodily fluids, commonly through blood. Nevertheless, Trump argues, “Wait till the baby is 12 years old and formed and take Hepatitis B.” I think I’ll stick with the doctors for the medical advice. But hey, great to see Trump diving into another topic he clearly understands so well.

In an effort to bring some hope at the end of his speech, Trump highlighted a drug to “reduce autism symptoms.” So what’s this new drug? Well, it’s not new; it’s an “existing drug” that is being “repurposed.” The name of this drug? He doesn’t say. The evidence for this drug’s effectiveness? He doesn’t say. What the drug does is “reflect potential benefits in reducing some autism symptoms,” Trump says. Trump dared to follow this foggy mystery drug with a hopeful closing thought. “This gives hope to the many parents with autistic children that it may be possible to improve their lives,” Trump said. Not really sure how hopeful I would feel, though, given that we literally have no information on the drug other than its “potential benefits in reducing some autism symptoms.” Definitely sounds like something Dr. Oz would promote.

I fear that there is little left that Trump can not do, and with every day, his words become more believable, and people will start accepting his misinformation as truth. I fear that this is the start of a terrible authoritarian regime, and we are letting it unfold slowly in front of us.