‘This May Be the Most Difficult Day in My Career’: Experts React to Trump’s Autism Remarks

Alex Ellerbeck, an Opinion health and science editor, hosted an online conversation with four autism experts to discuss the Trump administration’s news conference Monday on autism.

Alex Ellerbeck: On Monday, President Trump suggested that vaccines were contributing to the increase in autism and told parents to space out their children’s vaccine schedule. Mr. Trump and top health officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., linked Tylenol to autism. Trump said pregnant women should only take it if they couldn’t “tough it out.” What was your reaction to this announcement?

Alison Singer: It took me straight back to when moms were blamed for autism. If you can’t take the pain or deal with fever, if you can’t tough it out, then you are to blame if your child has autism. That was shocking. Simply shocking.