Former US President Barack Obama has strongly criticised Donald Trump’s recent comments linking paracetamol to autism, warning that such claims undermine public health and could endanger women.
Speaking at London’s O2 Arena in an interview with historian David Olusoga, Obama said his successor in the Oval Office was spreading misinformation that had already been “continuously disproved.”
“We have the spectacle of my successor making broad claims around certain drugs and autism that have been continuously disproved,” Obama told the audience. “It undermines public health … that can harm women.”
Trump had told supporters earlier this week: “Taking Tylenol is not good … All pregnant women should talk to their doctors about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant.”
The comments sparked backlash from medical experts and policymakers. UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting urged women to ignore Trump’s remarks, stressing that paracetamol is safe to use during pregnancy when taken as directed by a doctor.
Obama described Trump’s statements as “violence against the truth” and warned of broader dangers posed by political leaders who reject scientific evidence. He said this was part of a “tug of war” between two visions of the future—one based on progress and democracy, and the other rooted in populism and exclusion.
“My successor has not been particularly shy about it,” Obama said. “That desire is to go back to a very particular way of thinking about America, where ‘we, the people’ is just some people, not all people.”
Obama also criticised progressives for becoming “complacent” in the 1990s and 2000s, suggesting that today’s polarised politics are a test of whether democratic values can withstand pressure.
The former president, who has generally maintained a low profile since leaving office, is on a European speaking tour with stops in London and Dublin. He is due to receive the Freedom of Dublin this week
