Dr. Oz Breaks From Trump in Surprising Pushback

Dr. Mehmet Oz has distanced himself from President Donald Trump’s controversial directive that pregnant women should avoid Tylenol, becoming the second prominent Republican physician to break ranks with the administration over the September 22, 2025 announcement linking acetaminophen to autism.

During Trump’s White House press conference on September 22, flanked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the president urged pregnant women to avoid the common pain reliever entirely. Trump claimed the Food and Drug Administration would soon notify physicians that acetaminophen use is associated with increased autism risk, telling women to “fight like hell not to take it” and instructing them to “tough it out” without the medication.

However, Oz, who serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and stood behind Trump during the announcement, offered contradictory guidance in a September 23 TMZ interview. The celebrity physician indicated that pregnant women experiencing high fevers should take Tylenol to reduce their body temperature, stating that doctors would almost certainly prescribe the medication for such situations.

Oz acknowledged uncertainty about low-grade fever treatment during pregnancy but emphasized that acetaminophen remains probably the best available option when truly needed. He advised expectant mothers to take the medication only when appropriate, diverging sharply from Trump’s blanket prohibition.

Dr. Ben Carson, recently sworn in as a nutrition, health, and housing adviser for the Department of Agriculture, also contradicted the president’s stance during a September 25 White House appearance. Carson emphasized that medical decisions should involve healthcare providers who can properly assess individual risk-benefit ratios, noting that warning labels on medications do not guarantee adverse outcomes will occur.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota expressed concern about the administration’s position during a September 25 CNN appearance, stating that “science ought to guide these discussions.” Thune, who became a grandfather seven months ago, indicated that many medical professionals disagree with the administration’s warning and called for medical assertions to be well-grounded in scientific evidence.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a licensed physician whose support proved pivotal to Kennedy’s confirmation, challenged the administration to provide supporting evidence. Cassidy wrote on social media that the preponderance of existing evidence contradicts the Tylenol-autism connection claim and expressed concern that women would be left without pain management options during pregnancy.

The American Psychiatric Association issued a statement emphasizing that vaccines do not cause autism and that claims of such associations have been repeatedly discredited in peer-reviewed studies. The organization noted that acetaminophen, when taken as directed, has strong evidence supporting its safety during pregnancy.

Trump’s announcement extended beyond Tylenol warnings to include false claims about autism prevalence in other populations. The president asserted that Cuba has “virtually no autism” due to poverty preventing Tylenol access, despite Cuban medical officials operating specialized autism treatment clinics and awareness campaigns for years. Dr. Osmara Delgado Sánchez told the state-run website Cubadebate that 300 Cuban health professionals work in seven centers devoted to treating autism patients.

The president similarly claimed the Amish “have essentially no autism,” which experts refuted. The Coalition of Autism Scientists, comprising over 250 researchers, stated that autism impacts all communities, including Amish populations, though underdiagnosis likely occurs due to limited medical care access. A 2010 preliminary evaluation found autism among Amish children at approximately one in 271 cases.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has endorsed acetaminophen as one of the few safe pain relievers for pregnant women, calling Trump’s announcement “highly concerning” and “irresponsible.” The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine warned that untreated fever during pregnancy carries significant risks for both mother and child.

Arthur Caplan, founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, characterized the announcement as lacking evidence and containing dangerous advice that constitutes “flat out malpractice in managing pregnancy and protecting fetal life.”

The growing Republican opposition reflects broader medical community concerns about evidence-based healthcare guidance, as multiple Trump allies publicly contradict the administration’s position on a commonly used medication recommended by major medical organizations for decades.

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