Trump’s Anti-Vax Turn Is His Most Unpopular Move Yet

Only 4% of Americans Want Government Health Agencies to Restrict Access to Vaccines

Well, That Was Fucking Bananas

Yesterday, Trump gave a truly unhinged press conference that was theoretically about releasing an absurd, scientifically debunked report linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism. Here’s how the New York Times described the event:

President Trump, speaking at the White House, gave direct and unproven medical advice contradicting decades of research about vaccines and the use of a common painkiller in pregnancy and infancy. He declared without offering new evidence that there was a link between rising autism rates and the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. But multiple health agencies around the world — including the F.D.A. — have not found a conclusive link. Medical experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, stressed that acetaminophen is safe.

Even this seemingly harsh description is overly generous, bordering on what some call “sane-washing.” The press conference was truly bonkers—complete with references to the Amish, Cuba, and a suggestion that pregnant women should “tough it out” rather than take medicine for pain or fever.