In a rambling press conference on Sept. 22, President Donald Trump claimed that acetaminophen use in pregnancy is driving the rise in autism—and then ad libbed his own guidance on childhood vaccines. Watching the President deliver what is widely considered by leading professional organizations as inaccurate and dangerous medical advice gave me painful flashbacks to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was working on the frontlines as an emergency physician in New York City. By the time the press conference ended, people on social media were already comparing it to Trump’s infamous suggestion in April 2020 that injecting disinfectant might treat COVID.
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