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Sam Stein
You're listening to Leaffilter Radio and the guru of gutter protection himself, Chris Counahan is here to take your most pressing leaf related questions.
Chris Counahan
Hey everybody, Chris here. I understand we have Ron on the line. Ron, where are you calling from?
Sam Stein
Uh, oh, Ron, are you calling from a ladder? Well, I was, I wanted to ask Chris what I need to do to get my gutters ready to have leaffilter installed.
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Tim Miller
So I didn't need to get on this ladder?
Chris Counahan
Ron, Leaffilter trusted pros are in your neighborhood and ready to help. Just visit leaffilter.comday to schedule your free gutter inspection and get up to 30% off.
Sam Stein
Thank goodness. What was that site? That's leaffilter.com day for your free gutter inspection today. See representative for warranty details. Promotion is 20% off plus a 10% senior or military discount. One discount per household. Hey everybody. Tim Miller from the Bulwark here with managing editor Sam Stein. I think you were called Rob on the Bulwark Reddit this week. Someone had some complaints about you. They called you Ben or Rob, that managing editor that interrupts too much.
Tim Miller
I was like, oh my God, that complaint again.
Sam Stein
Sorry, dude. Let us cook. Let us cook. Managing editor. Here's the thing, guys. Speaking of cooking, I'm pretty sure the president's brain is cooked. This is the stupid, the craziest press conference of the administration. I, I, I know that that's competitive category. I haven't thought about the number one craziest press conference. I mean, like, there are more outrageous ones. Zelensky in the Oval Office, for example. There have been more ridiculous ones. You know, the flags, flag poles and the, the Panera Garden. But like the craziest, just pure crazy old man shouting at cloud. This is number one, I think. Right.
Tim Miller
It was vintage 2020. It really was. It was Trump at his, like, apex predator moment where he's just, like, pretending to be a doctor. It was just like the worst, most.
Sam Stein
Irresponsible, apex grandpa Simpson moment, maybe. Okay, here it is. So the press conference was set up like this. Fox had a blaring graphic autism announcement. Autism announcement. It's pretty.
Tim Miller
Pretty funny double entendre there.
Sam Stein
But, yeah, when it came to autism and the announcement. Well, there's a lot there, I guess. I want to play the first clip where Trump. I guess we'll just set it up like this. Trump has fingered a culprit on the autism question. The big question of why have autism rates gone up in this country? The obvious answer to that is that we're just diagnosing autism more often than not. But even if you're under the premise that autism has gone up, Trump's trying to figure out why, and he's demonstrated who the culprit is. Let's watch.
Donald Trump
Nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen. But with Tylenol, don't take it. Don't take it. And if you can't live, if your fever is so bad, you have to take one, because there's no alternative to that, sadly. First question, what can you take instead? It's actually. There's not an alternative to that. And as you know, other. Other of the medicines are absolutely proven bad. I mean, they've been proven bad.
Sam Stein
Yes. And nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen if you don't take Tylenol. That's it. That's what the President has to say there. Tylenol is the culprit. Acetaminophen, bad news if you're taking a lot of acetaminophen if you're a woman. Luckily, neither of us have ever had to go through pregnancy. But if you're a woman who has or has plans to go through pregnancy, nothing else you can do. The President says, sorry, bad news, no Tylenol for you. It'll give your kid autism. And if. And there's no alternative pain medication that is acceptable, you must suffer.
Tim Miller
Did you find him convincing there? Yeah.
Sam Stein
And he didn't bring out a lot of science, I noticed there in that clip. And we have some more clips to go through, but I didn't see, like, a lot of charts or some. I didn't see a lot of studies. This is, like, the worst tests, you.
Tim Miller
Know, this is the worst of his, like, attributes coming together, where it's just, like, zero Preparation zero. Subject matter, expertise complete. Faith in just winging it and, like, speaking with conviction. Being like, you know what? Tylenol.
Sam Stein
Nothing.
Tim Miller
Good. Oh, wait, yeah, good. No, bad. It's like, soon even get good and bad. Right? It's so. It's so irresponsible and quite dangerous. In fact, I was talking with Cone. He should be here, obviously, but he's not for religious.
Sam Stein
Cone's bringing on some actual. We'd have some actual experts on tomorrow. This is. Sam and I are more.
Tim Miller
This is the. This is the palate cleanser.
Sam Stein
Yeah. We're reacting to the.
Tim Miller
This is the amuse bouche of the YouTuber. But I was thinking about. I was talking. I was texting with cone about this, and Con was like, living. Like, cone was, like, driving. He had his kid slack me so that he could, like, talk to me about it. He's like, just really. This is like. This is the worst thing. This is horrible. Way worse than I. Than I thought. And we talked about two cohorts here. One is the women who were just finished pregnancy and took Tylenol who have to listen to this and who might not really be up to speed. Like, a lot of people aren't up to speed on this stuff. And we're like, holy, what did I just do to myself? Like, what did I just do to my child? I mean, that's legitimate psychological torture that the president inflicted. And I must say, it goes without saying. We should have said it, though. None of what he said is actually supported by medical research. There are some studies out there floating out there, but if you dig into the research, it is not conclusive in the slightest. In fact, it may be completely coincidental and anecdotal. So that's one cohort. That's really something.
Sam Stein
I'm sorry, I have some pushback for you on that point, but do you want to talk about the suffering cohort? And then we'll get to the second.
Tim Miller
Cohort, and then you can push back. Are the women who are now going to go through pregnancy. Pregnancy in, like, real pain and decide, you know what? I guess I shouldn't take Tylenol. And they're just gonna. They're just gonna suffer through it. And, you know, like, that doesn't happen.
Sam Stein
Ivermectin might work. Ivermectin, the horse tranquilizer.
Tim Miller
It feels like they do prescribe that for everything, but, yeah, I'm not gonna. I won't. I'm not a doctor, nor would I.
Sam Stein
Suggest that you can do that. Yeah, it doesn't seem Great for women. I wouldn't say there's another. I was laughing. I was watching social media. There was somebod who. There's some other studies out there that again, I'm not a scientist, so I'm not trying to offer which of these suspect studies are less subsect or more. But they're like there are some other studies on the kind of the level of the Tylenol research on autism, which is like maybe the second autism comes from elderly male semen. We have too many old dads now and that is causing the uptick because back in the day used to be a lot of young dads anyway, that's not something.
Tim Miller
Semen just isn't kind out these days.
Sam Stein
It's just noteworthy, though, that while there's spitball and different ideas out there, the old dad theory doesn't come up.
Tim Miller
Trump would never, never throw that one out.
Sam Stein
The mom needs to stop taking Tylenol. What comes up? All right. Well, anyway, the president does, you know, we like to shoot straight here. The president did does offer a counter to your point there, Sam, that there's no evidence that the Tylenol theory can be true. He said two different groups that provide evidence and support for his advocacy that women stop taking Tylenol during pregnancy. Let's hear about the first group.
Donald Trump
There are parts of the world that don't take Tylenol.
Sam Stein
Well, there you go.
Donald Trump
And it is a rumor, and I don't know if it's so or not, that Cuba, they don't have Tylenol because they don't have the money for Tylenol and they have virtually no autism. Okay, tell me about that one. And there are other parts of the world where they don't have Tylenol, where they don't have autism. That tells you a lot. And I want to say it right now, and you know, the way I look at it, don't take it. Don't take it.
Sam Stein
Tell me about that one. I don't have any proof of it or any evidence. I've heard from somebody down at the bar that people in Cuba, they don't have autism. They don't have Tylenol. What more do you need? Do you have any. All right, Mr. Mr. Experts, Mr. Facts and Science. What do you got to say about that?
Tim Miller
I mean, just to go straight up, be like, I don't have any evidence of this, but I think Cuba doesn't have Tylenol and therefore what are we doing here? It's unbelievable. Also, just the irony of just being like, yeah, we should be like Cuba. Like this seems very, very like socialist of him because obviously the big thing on the left is that Cuba's health care system is universal. And if that's what we're trying to emulate, God bless. But I don't think people are going to make that trade off willingly. Bulwark Takes is sponsored by Seoul. I still love a good night out, but I'm not always in the mood to drink and luckily I found a great alternative. Sol's out of Office Gummies. They give me that same light, happy buzz without the hangover sugar or awkward next morning. I've been taking these and I love how much it helps me relax without following me around all day the next day. I'm a much better parent and a much better podcaster when I've had my CBD gummies and now you can get that gentle buzz legally. I stress this in all italics and caps in bold. Legally. Sol is a wellness brand that believes feeling good should be fun and easy. Sol specializes in delicious hemp derived THC and CBD products designed to boost your mood and help you unwind. If you like their out of Office Gummies, you should try their new out of Office beverage. It's a refreshing, alcohol free alternative that's perfect for winding down on the couch or socializing with friends. Their best selling out of Office Gummies were designed to provide a mild relaxing buzz, boost your mood and enhance creativity and relaxation. With five different strengths, you can tailor the dose to fit your vibe from a gentle 1.5 milligram microdose to their newest 15 milligram gummy for what we will call a more elevated experience. Even that's too much for Tim Miller. Folks. Bring on the good vibes and treat yourself to Sol today. Right now, Sol is offering our audience 30% off your entire order. 30% off. Can't beat that. Go to getsol.com and use the code bulwark takes. That's getsoul.com promo code bulwarktakes for 30% off.
Sam Stein
A quick Google here does show there are nine autism schools in Cuba.
Tim Miller
Probably just to study us, right? Because they don't have any cases.
Sam Stein
There actually are some cases of autism in Cuba.
Tim Miller
Wait, come on.
Sam Stein
Just a quick Google there. We'll look to Cohen for expertise on that. Okay, well there's another group. Theo Vaughn was also looking into this group recently.
Tim Miller
I remember Theo.
Sam Stein
Theo Vaughn had somebody from this cohort on his podcast and was asking him about about whether their community had ADHD and Donald Trump may or may not have seen that. But he, he has some similar questions. Let's watch.
Donald Trump
And by the way, I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills. That have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something that's currently. Is that a correct statement, by the way?
Tim Miller
Who knows? Who knows.
Sam Stein
We'Re doing it live here or spitball. Do I got that right?
Donald Trump
Yeah, virtually.
Tim Miller
Bobby.
Donald Trump
See, Bobby wants to be very careful with what he says. And he should. But I'm not so careful with what I say.
Tim Miller
No shit.
Donald Trump
But you have certain groups, the Amish as an example, they have essentially no autism.
Tim Miller
It's great. You know what else they don't have? Auto deaths. Let's. Let's go with that one also. They do have autism.
Sam Stein
Scientific evidence, Amish children do get autism. Based on what we're here seeing here on the Internet. I mean, that is just. That is classic. It's like Bobby Kennedy is now like Mr. Careful in the administration. Like Trump is over there and he's like, Bobby over there is trying to. He's always crossing his T's and dotting his eyes. I'm like, I'm just shooting this. We're like live with the White House. I'm the President. I'm just like throwing out different things. I heard about the Amish. What did you hear about the Amish? Have you heard anything about the Scientologists? What about. What about the Quakers? Do the Quakers have autism? What's their rate?
Tim Miller
Yeah, what's the deal? I just want to emphasize the quote is this is. I'm not so careful with what I say in a press conference about child autism rates. It's like so deeply reckless. This man. What is he doing to this?
Sam Stein
Reckless? Yeah, I would say reckless. Ludicrous. Dangerous. Reckless.
Tim Miller
Did you not get Covid flashbacks? I was starting to. The red lights were going off me at that point. I was like, this is the bleach injuries. Inject the bleach shit all over again.
Sam Stein
Yeah, I do. I have gotten some flashbacks to that. And we're gonna go ahead and skip ahead producer Katie, because I think this is the most bleach esque quote. Let's do clip number five from the press conference.
Donald Trump
Break it up. Because it's too much liquid. Too many different things are going into that baby. At too big. At too big a number. The size of this thing. When you look at.
Sam Stein
That's what she said.
Donald Trump
It's like 80 different vaccines and beyond vaccines and 80. Then you give that to a little kid. I mean, I.
Tim Miller
Too much.
Sam Stein
Too much liquid.
Tim Miller
Too much liquid. The size.
Sam Stein
He's got to shine the light into the body instead. Okay. It's like a cleaning. Not as much liquid, more light, fewer amounts of liquid.
Tim Miller
What do you think is, like, level of scientific knowledge is here? Is it like. Not even. I'm not even gonna pass. I'm not even gonna try to look into this shit. I'm just gonna, like, purely guttural, go up there and just talk how I feel.
Sam Stein
Yeah, it feels like little baby, big needle, bad. Don't like. I don't know, man. But I think that it's important to get into this. And I want to play the next clip because this press conference, as is Bobby Kennedy's want, does not end up just being a, like an effort to freak people out about acetaminophen and taking Tylenol while pregnant. It is also a full frontal assault on the vaccine schedule. He laid out the 80 vaccines.
Tim Miller
Well, he just did that, just to be clear. He just did that there because they. He wants to break up the MMR vaccine schedule, which I'm going to do next.
Sam Stein
Yeah, so. So. So that was about the 80. All the vaccines, too much liquid. But then he specifically goes after the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, though he doesn't know what the R stands for. Let's go ahead and watch that one.
Donald Trump
The mmr, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel. The mumps, measles, and the three should be taken separately. And it seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem. So there's no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it's better. So let it be separate.
Tim Miller
Who is they?
Donald Trump
The chickenpox is already separate, so he.
Sam Stein
Thinks they should be taken separate. He doesn't know what they all are. Couldn't come up with the name of Rubella there. And, you know, he thinks it's too much liquid. And potentially this is also. Again, this is like kind of a side quest down off of the autism announcement that was mostly supposed to be about Tylenol, but he's like, we got to throw in some vaccines. Vaccine slander, too. Who knows? Maybe it's the mmr. Maybe we gotta separate it. It's just how he feels. It's just how he feels. He says very clearly, in case there's any doubts about whether this is science or not. This is just what the President feels.
Tim Miller
I'm struggling because he's so. It's so dangerous. There's one point during this press conference, I don't think we have this clip, but someone read him the American College of Obstetrician statement, where they're like, don't do this. Like, they said Tylenol remains a safe, trusted option for pain relief during pregnancy. And he was just like, oh, that's the establishment. They're funded by a lot of different things. And it's just like, he's basically just telling people, you know, just, you know, go figure it out. Like, trust me, don't trust them. You know, And a lot of people are gonna suffer for this shit. It's. It's. It's totally reckless. There's one guy, Craig Spencer, who's a doctor. He's not. He. I follow him on Twitter. He said, I'm just gonna read it. Absolutely speechless. Like, wow, this is the worst health press conference I maybe have ever seen. And I watched everyone during COVID How are we doing this again? I mean, people are gonna suffer greatly for this. People. Women are not going to take medication that they need to take, all because this guy has, you know, worm brains. Not Bobby Kennedy Trump. And he can't figure it out and he can't get out of his own way. I don't even. I don't even understand the incentive for doing this. Like, what constituency is asking for this? Obviously the Maha people, but they. But will Summer notes. They don't want this. They want them to yank all the vaccines. They don't care about Tylenol. They don't care about Tylenol. They want the vaccines off the shelf. So I don't get this. My mom, who's an obstetrician, gynecologist, chimes in. If we want to read Dr. Emily.
Sam Stein
Fox, I would like to hear from her.
Tim Miller
Okay, this is straight from the source here. My thinking is that autism is probably a multifactorial entity. That is in fact, not all one disease. Therefore, causality is all seen multifactorial. There can be a genetic component, and perhaps there can be an intrapartum component as well. We also think that there may be environmental factors as well. Much more research needs to be done before we take pregnant women. Make pregnant women feel guilty about taking Tylenol. I trust the American College of OBGYN's recommendation. There are multiple international collaborative studies that are ongoing, and we'll come up with a variety of answers. As long as the government is taking away money for research and inhibiting scientists, we will not get real answers. Hell yeah, Emily. Fine.
Sam Stein
That's A great statement for your mother. Let's get her on.
Tim Miller
You don't want that. You don't want.
Sam Stein
Instead of me, instead of you, maybe. She probably wouldn't interrupt as much. Okay, two other items for you before we let go. Again, this is a side thing, but it's just. Because Trump is just up there riffing about things that he feels, you know, I'm just going to read this one. But he also starts talking about the Hep B vaccine. He points out that F B is sexually transmitted. There's no reason to give a baby that's almost just born Hep B. It's just worth bringing this one up because it just, it shows. Not only are they not based on science, not only did he not get briefed or educated, like, he doesn't even know the basics. Like, the whole point of the Habib.
Tim Miller
Why is he talking? Why is he talking? I don't understand.
Sam Stein
To vaccinate the baby to prevent transmission from the mother. Like, the reason you get that vaccine is what if case your mother has it and you're protecting from it so you're not born with this awful.
Tim Miller
Again, why is he talking? What is he bringing to the table? Why is he doing any of this? Like, even. I mean, I know I don't want Bobby Kennedy to talk about this stuff either, but, like, at least Bobby Kennedy is the HHS secretary. Why is Trump talking?
Sam Stein
Because he likes attention. Yeah. And because he's always. He's like a talk radio guy. You call in guy. And he thinks that. He's like, he thinks he's got something there. He's like, first time, he's like Micah, the mad dog Donald from Queens. He's like. I'm pretty sure it's the liquid.
Tim Miller
Why are they giving the Hep B to the moms when the moms aren't done?
Sam Stein
Final question. I've been seeing a lot of this out there already. So the Tylenol people, are they going to get to sue?
Tim Miller
I don't know.
Sam Stein
Is this like a dominion situation? Who does it? Who would they. This is what we got to get the legal, like, you know, I mean, it feels like the town should be able to sue. Unfortunately, he's the President. I would like for him to be.
Tim Miller
Able to sue for this.
Sam Stein
Yeah, I like him to them to sue the Trump family rather than my tax dollars. But I mean, like, the degree to which this random American company is just getting totally slandered by the President of the United States for, like, no reason, you know, it's also remarkable. I mean, Tunnel's not like the greatest victim here compared to the mothers, but like it is, it does merit mentioning since corporations are people.
Tim Miller
You know, I think Tunnel's biggest mistake here was they just. They didn't make a million dollar donation to the Trump inaugural committee and therefore they're fucked.
Sam Stein
Give them a plane.
Tim Miller
Yeah. They need to do the conservation system.
Sam Stein
Yeah.
Tim Miller
Totally, totally unnecessary attack on this company. I do actually feel bad for talent on this one.
Sam Stein
Yeah. And the people that work there, you know, those are American jobs. All right.
Tim Miller
We are so screwed. We are so screwed. Hold on. We have to do it. I have to ask again, is Bobby Kennedy the worst of the Cabinet officials? You resist. Come on. When will you just.
Sam Stein
I do resist. I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking through the Cabinet one more time before I weigh in. So obviously, yes, I'm sorry, but I still, still think I gotta put him Bondi and cash. That's a disjust.
Tim Miller
Cash is not Cabinet, but Bondi.
Sam Stein
I know, but cash is kind of part of the Bondi. But it's close. He's definitely going up. My big board. I'll say this. That is Sam Stein. Thank you. Also to his mother, Dr. Fine.
Tim Miller
Dr. Fine.
Sam Stein
Dr. Fine. That's a great name. Everybody else, subscribe to the feed. We'll see you all soon.
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Episode: Trump’s Disgraceful Autism Press Conference Was Cruel, Stupid and Dangerous
Date: September 23, 2025
Hosts: Tim Miller & Sam Stein
This episode centers around the fallout from President Trump’s recent press conference on autism, Tylenol, and vaccines—a press event the hosts lambast as irresponsible, unscientific, and alarmingly reminiscent of Trump's previous pandemic-era performance. Tim Miller and Sam Stein provide a pointed, sometimes darkly comedic, analysis of the event, emphasizing the real-world dangers and psychological harm caused by the President’s remarks.
[01:42] Sam and Tim are baffled by the chaotic nature of Trump's presser, with Sam describing it as possibly “the craziest press conference of the administration.”
[02:26] Tim notes it was like “vintage 2020,” channeling Trump's pandemic-era pseudo-expertise and total disregard for science.
[03:27] Trump singles out Tylenol (acetaminophen) as the culprit for rising autism rates, suggesting pregnant women should not take it, despite lack of research.
The hosts highlight the psychological distress this places on mothers and pregnant women who followed (or will follow) medical guidelines.
Tim points out the foundational flaw: “None of what he said is actually supported by medical research. ... It is not conclusive in the slightest.” [05:05]
[08:06] Trump claims Cuba has no autism since they lack Tylenol, based on what he admits is rumor.
Sam fact-checks live: “A quick Google here does show there are nine autism schools in Cuba.” [11:03]
[11:38] Trump pushes another baseless theory: “Certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills have no autism. ... The Amish as an example, they have essentially no autism.” — Donald Trump (clip) [11:38–12:08]
[13:44] Trump complains that children receive “too much liquid” and “too many different things ... at too big a number,” riffing on the idea that babies get “like, 80 different vaccines.”
[15:27] He advocates separating the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccines without evidence, simply because it’s how he feels.
Tim points out the mirror to Trump’s COVID-era “inject bleach” moments: “This is the bleach injuries. Inject the bleach shit all over again.” [13:22]
The hosts note the real damage of Trump’s remarks: women suffering due to fear and guilt, possible drop in vaccine rates, and the spread of outright misinformation.
Tim reads a reaction from a physician on Twitter: “Absolutely speechless ... this is the worst health press conference I maybe have ever seen. And I watched everyone during COVID.” — Craig Spencer, MD (quoted by Tim Miller) [17:23]
Tim’s mother, Dr. Emily Fine (OB-GYN), offers critical context on autism, its multifactorial nature, and warns emphatically against shaming pregnant women for following mainstream medical guidance:
This episode gives a scathing, moment-by-moment breakdown of Trump’s press conference, highlighting his baseless associations between Tylenol and autism, his vaccine misinformation, and how his off-the-cuff public speculation causes real harm to families and public health. The hosts rely on expert input and fact-checking, making a compelling case for the dangerous consequences of political figures disregarding science and expert consensus, all while keeping up a brisk, irreverent tone.