欧博abgWhat Did Trump Say About Child Autism? And Is
President Donald Trump and his administration will make what he described as one of the "biggest" announcements in American history, about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), he said Sunday at the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In a clip distributed by the Associated Press, Trump was asked by a reporter about autism ahead of the announcement, and he made a series of remarks about the condition.
Newsweek was unable to find a peer-reviewed or major study that matched the remarks made by the president and has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Why It MattersThe announcement may represent a potentially significant shift in federal autism policy and research direction.
According to The Washington Post, which cited four sources familiar with the administration's plans, it is expected that officials will tie autism to acetaminophen use during pregnancy and promote leucovorin as a potential treatment. This approach could fundamentally alter medical guidance for pregnant women and autism treatment protocols and may affect millions of families.
The initiative has drawn involvement from top health officials, including Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya.
While on Air Force One, in remarks captured on video by AP, Trump said: "But you think if you think of it, let's say 15 years ago and 1 in 10,000 that were born with autism and now it's making it 1 in 12, 1 in 10 boys, one in 10 or 12, two different studies. Girls, one in 20. Can you imagine, 22 years ago, it was one in 20,000. So that's obviously something artificial that's really wrong. And we think we know what that is."
Co-author of study linking acetaminophen to autism calls for more research
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Co-author of study linking acetaminophen to autism calls for more researchAccording to data from the CDC, in 2000, it was 1 in 50. It is now 1 in 31 8-year-olds who have been diagnosed with ASD. The full report states that 1 in 20 boys have ASD, while 1 in 70 girls do.
The CDC also reported that about 1 in 6 children, 17 percent between the ages of 3 and 17, had been diagnosed with a developmental disability, reported by parents, during a study period of 2009 to 2017. This included ASD, as well as other disabilities like blindness and cerebral palsy.
A study published in the Public Health Policy Journal, which cited CDC data, found that 1 in 12.5 boys in California have ASD.
That study reads in part: "Between 2014 and 2017, ASD prevalence among young children in California increased from 0.86 percent to 1.18 percent—a 37.2 percent increase in just three years. By 2020, according to CDC ADDM surveillance, 4.5 percent of 8-year-olds in California had an autism diagnosis—the highest prevalence among all U.S. monitoring sites."
Additionally, when asked if there would be an announcement about a potential link between vaccines and autism, Trump said: "We'll see tomorrow. Vaccines are very interesting. They can be great. But when you put the wrong stuff in them, and children get these massive vaccines, like you give to a horse. Like you give to a horse. And I said for a long time, this is no secret. Spread out over five years. Five shots. Small ones. Did you ever see what they give? They give, I mean, for a little baby to be injected with that much fluid? Even beyond the actual ingredients. Sometimes 80 different vaccines. It's crazy. That's a commonsense thing. It's like you're shooting up a horse. You have a little body, a little baby, and you're pumping this big thing. It's a horrible thing. So we'll be having a big discussion tomorrow about autism."
According to fact sheet, the CDC recommends 12 vaccines from birth through age 6.
What People Are SayingPresident Donald Trump: "And tomorrow, we're gonna have one of the biggest announcements, really, medically, I think, in the history of our country, we're gonna be doing it with Bobby and Oz, and all of the professionals. I think you're gonna find it...to be amazing. I think we found an answer to autism."
White House spokesman Kush Desai: "President Trump pledged to address America's rising rate of autism, and to do so with Gold Standard Science. Tomorrow's announcement will make historic progress on both commitments."
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in an April Cabinet meeting: "We've launched a massive testing and research effort that's going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world. By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures."
What Happens NextThe president's autism announcement is scheduled for Monday in the Oval Office.