He described rising autism numbers as a “horrible, horrible crisis”, saying pregnant women should not take the painkiller, citing the unproven link as a major factor in the rise of autism diagnoses.
The President also alleged a link between vaccines and autism, and falsely claimed babies were “loaded up” with up to 80 different vaccines.
The result is that doctors in the United States will soon be advised not to prescribe the drug.
Trump’s comments were always going to spark a strong response and, unsurprisingly, experts here haven’t held back.
New Zealand General Practice chair Dr Bryan Betty believes it “verges on outrageous”, puts pregnant women and their unborn children at risk and plunges us back into the 19th century.
Fever during pregnancy is “potentially dangerous” so there is good reason why pregnant women take paracetamol.
The Ministry of Health says it is the safest medication for pain and fever.
Dr Deralie Flower, an obstetrician and president of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists’ Auckland branch, said it was disturbing “when people who are not experts in that field put out statements like that”.
Dr Joan Ingram, a medical advisor at the Immunisation Advisory Centre, said the evidence fails to suggest any link between vaccines and autism.
Helen Petousis-Harris, a vaccinologist and co-director of the Global Vaccine Data Network, told Newstalk ZB the Trump administration’s declaration is a “load of nonsense”.
An angry Sir Collin Tukuitonga, an Auckland University professor and New Zealand’s former Director of Public Health, believes Trump is “an idiot”.
Medsafe told the NZ Herald there is no proven link between paracetamol and autism.
Autism New Zealand chief executive Dane Dougan described the rhetoric as “quite scary”. “What we know is there is no single cause for autism ... it’s incredibly complex and cannot be boiled down to one cause either.”
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects a person’s cognitive, sensory and social processing – essentially, the way they see the world.
About 159,000 people in New Zealand are estimated to have it. There will be many people who know people with autism, either in their own family, through friends or at work.
Trump’s description of the rising numbers as a “horrible, horrible crisis” is also disrespectful, if not upsetting, to people who are on the autism spectrum.
It’s not the first time that Trump has dangerously strayed into the field of medicine. Remember his comments during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which he claimed that injecting bleach would cure people of the virus?
The danger with his latest comments is that some people might believe him and act accordingly, potentially putting themselves or their unborn baby or newborn at risk.
The official advice is that pregnant women can safely take paracetamol. Vaccines can save lives.
And as for 80 baby vaccines? The New Zealand national immunisation schedule shows babies get 12 vaccinations in their first year, excluding the one for flu.
Petousis-Harris, the vaccinologist, also points out that the claim that there is an autism epidemic is not true. Instead, the way the autism spectrum is defined has changed over time and more people are being diagnosed because there is more awareness.
So there is a gulf between what Trump alleges and what the experts say.
There is one other important thing to bear in mind.
Trump, in making his vaccine comments at the White House, also conceded: “I’m not a doctor, but I’m giving my opinion”.
This says it all, really.
The President is not a doctor.
Flower, the obstetrician, has this advice for concerned pregnant women: “People should talk to their midwife or their obstetrician before taking any health advice from President Trump.”
Wise words indeed.
