Bulwark Takes Dr. Ashish Jha SHREDS Trump’s Pseudoscience
Sep 24, 2025
Dr. Ashish Jha, a respected physician and former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, takes center stage to dissect misleading claims about Tylenol and vaccines linked to autism. He critiques the White House's public health briefings, calling them dangerously inaccurate. Jha clarifies that no causal link exists between Tylenol and autism, emphasizing the risks of discouraging its use. He also discusses vaccine schedules, maternal protection against hepatitis B, and calls for more comprehensive autism research, highlighting the importance of scientific integrity in public health.
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Danger Of Unchecked Presidential Medical Claims
- The White House press appearance on autism was, in Ashish Jha's view, the worst public health briefing he's seen.
- He warned it blamed millions of women and made pregnancy care harder by giving unfounded medical directives.
Sibling Studies Undercut Tylenol-Autism Link
- The best studies, including a large Swedish sibling analysis, show no clear link between prenatal acetaminophen and autism.
- Sibling comparisons eliminate many confounders and the association disappears in that design.
Meta-Analysis Doesn’t Overturn Best Evidence
- A recent meta-analysis cited by the administration pooled many studies but only seven addressed acetaminophen and autism.
- Those pooled results rehash old, mixed findings; the highest-quality studies do not show an effect.