Trump Administration Plans Changes to Vaccine Schedule Amid Autism Concerns

President Donald Trump held a press conference with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to address the causes of autism, focusing primarily on a federal review linking acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy to increased autism risk. Trump urged pregnant women to limit or avoid Tylenol unless medically necessary and called the rise in autism diagnoses a major medical crisis. He also criticized the current childhood vaccine schedule, calling it "disgraceful," and advocated for separating combination vaccines like MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and varicella, despite scientific consensus disproving links between vaccines and autism. Trump described the volume and content of vaccines given to children as excessive, comparing the doses to those given to horses and recommending spreading out vaccinations over several years. The administration also highlighted leucovorin, a drug derived from folic acid, as a hopeful treatment for autism, though research remains mixed. These remarks have sparked controversy due to the ongoing scientific debate around vaccines and autism, while major health organizations continue to recommend vaccination and acetaminophen use during pregnancy when necessary.