President Donald Trump announced that on Monday, his administration will reveal new information regarding autism, following a report by the Wall Street Journal that hinted at a potential link between Tylenol and the condition in children.
While speaking at Mt. Vernon, the historical residence of President George Washington, Trump mentioned, “We’re going to have an announcement on autism on Monday,” during an event for the American Cornerstone Institute.
“I think it’s gonna be a very important announcement. I think it’s gonna be one of the most important things that we will do,” he added.
Trump did not offer any further details about what would be announced.
Additionally, Trump mentioned that he plans to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson next week.
In the past, Trump, along with Ben Carson and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has publicly suggested connections between autism and vaccines or other medications, despite a lack of scientific evidence supporting these claims.
“Around 30 years ago, I’ve heard statistics like one in 200,000, one in 100,000,” Trump, then the president-elect, remarked to reporters during a press meeting in December.
“And now I’m hearing numbers of one in 100. So something’s wrong. There’s something wrong. And we’re going to find out about it,” he added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that they will fund research into the hypothesis that vaccines may be linked to autism.
The research comes as multiple top CDC officials resigned from the agency citing a “weaponization of public health” as Kennedy and others have worked to alter the vaccine schedule for school aged children, pregnant women and senior adults.
During Trump’s Saturday remarks, he hit on a wide range of subjects, including the possibility of a third term and mentioned that he received a call from actor Tom Cruise.
Cruise rejected the president’s offer to bestow him with a prestigious Kennedy Center award last month after a host of artists cancelled scheduled shows following the Trump administration’s takeover of the venue.
