Obama says Trump linking paracetamol to autism is 'violence against the truth'

Source: The Guardian

Wed 24 Sep 2025 18.23 EDT
Last modified on Wed 24 Sep 2025 18.51 EDT


Barack Obama has said Donald Trump’s claims linking paracetamol to autism in infants is “violence against the truth” that could harm pregnant women if they were too scared to take pain relief.

Obama, who was being interviewed by David Olusoga at the O2 Arena, told the audience that Trump’s claims about paracetamol – branded as Tylenol in the US – had been “continuously disproved” and posed a danger to public health. “We have the spectacle of my successor in the Oval Office making broad claims around certain drugs and autism that have been continuously disproved,” he said. “It undermines public health … that can do harm to women.”

On Monday Trump had said: “Taking Tylenol is not good … All pregnant women should talk to their doctors about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant.” The comments were criticised by the UK health secretary, Wes Streeting, who encouraged women to ignore the president’s comments.

Obama argued there was a “tug of war” between two visions for the future of the US and humanity. On one side the progressive view where change came through democracy, the other driven by populists including Trump wanting a return to an older, more conservative worldview.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/24/obama-says-trump-linking-paracetamol-to-autism-is-violence-against-the-truth