'What a sentence': Trump Cabinet official slammed for 'direct anti-semitism' in meeting
During a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asserted that “children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it’s highly likely because they’re given Tylenol.”
President Donald Trump added: “There’s a tremendous amount of proof or evidence. I would say as a non‑doctor, but I’ve studied this a long time.”
A clip from the meeting spread rapidly on social media, with many users reacting to their remarks with disbelief, ridicule and alarm.
Medical authorities have sharply criticized the administration for overstepping scientific validity, warning that simplified claims may mislead patients and cause confusion.
Earlier, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a statement challenging the secretary's claim and said there is no clear evidence that prudent use of acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) during pregnancy causes autism.
RFK Jr.'s Thursday remarks were criticized by some as "antisemitic."
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) wrote on the social platform X: "This is an antisemitic remark. I call on all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to clearly denounce it."
Matt Bennett, EVP for Public Affairs at Third Way, wrote: "'Circumcision causes autism because of Tylenol' is the weirdest MadLib in the history of presidential cabinet meetings."
Journalist Carla Marinucci wrote: "Did @RobertKennedyJr just suggest 'children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism' presumably because of Tylenol? Again, throwing out wild unsupported theories — irresponsible."
Political organizer Melissa Byrne wrote on X: "Some direct anti-semitism in the Cabinet Room."
Writer Noah Rothman reacted to the news and wrote: "What a sentence."
Author Eric Michael Garcia, who wrote the book We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation, reacted to the remarks and said in a post on X: "DO I NEED TO WRITE ANOTHER PAPERBACK EDITION OF MY BOOK?"
