What A Day – "Dr. Trump’s Bad Medicine"

Date: September 23, 2025 | Host: Jane Coaston

Episode Overview

On this episode, host Jane Coaston tackles the Trump administration's latest foray into medical policy: the release of a controversial, thinly substantiated report linking Tylenol use in pregnancy to rising autism rates. Joined by journalist Brandy Zadrozny, the discussion scrutinizes the administration's approach to public health, the persistence of misinformation around autism, and the growing crisis of trust in official sources. The episode also covers recent media and legal headlines, spotlighting ongoing political interference in entertainment and judicial institutions.

Main Segment: The Trump Administration, Autism, and Tylenol

[00:02 – 11:01]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Administration’s Announcement

• Trump administration claims a link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and autism
  • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. led the "hunt" for the true cause of autism, promising answers by September.
  • The long-awaited announcement targeted acetaminophen (Tylenol), despite a dearth of medical evidence supporting the claim.
• Jane Coaston’s critique:
  • "Blaming autism on Tylenol with no evidence is part and parcel of what the Make America Healthy Again movement actually looks like. Acting based on vibes and feels and ignoring actual evidence..." (01:52)
  • Trump reportedly indifferent to medical consensus about the dangers of high fever during pregnancy—fever being safer to treat than Tylenol, in his view.

Scientific Validity and Political Motives

• Brandy Zadrozny’s analysis:
  • The push for this announcement coincides with months of negative public health news for the administration: research cancellations, expert firings, and anti-vaccine voices taking over.
  • "Trump needed what he thought was a win in terms of solving autism, and it seems he pressured Kennedy to get out a report earlier than maybe it was ready." (03:22)
  • RFK Jr. promised conclusive results, but the research delivered lacks substantiation and ignores larger studies discrediting any connection.

Lack of Evidence for the Claim

• No actual report has been released; press conferences substitute for data (05:28).
• A 2024 JAMA study with 2.5 million Swedish children found "the majority of the evidence in front of us at this moment shows that that link [between Tylenol and autism] is just not real." (05:54)

Public Health Risks and Responsibility

• Coaston: Questioned the risks of such misleading statements, especially with little research to back them up (06:28).
• Zadrozny: Even anti-vax doctors warn not to ‘mess around’ with high fevers in children; Tylenol remains the only safe fever reducer for pregnant women (07:29).
• Coaston laments the burden MAHA places on women, blaming mothers for outcomes outside their control (08:02).

The Politics of "Natural Health"

• Zadrozny: "There's a whole fallacy of the natural health movement that doing nothing is always the best thing. ...It's just a prevailing narrative inside that movement and it's often not true." (08:39)
• MAHA movement: Led by men, powered by women, frequently involves online harassment—especially of mothers whose children are ill or disabled.

Collapse of Institutional Trust

• Coaston: With CDC, HHS, and NIH "majorly gutted," who can people trust?
• Zadrozny: "You're right, we cannot trust the CDC at this point. ...There are medical associations, groups like the AAP... but it really is a sad time for institutional trust around medicine." (10:04)

Memorable Quotes

• Coaston: "If you want evidence-based medical advice you can count on, run away from the White House as fast as you possibly can." (00:02)
• Trump (quoted): "Nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen." (06:55)
• Zadrozny: "Part of you wants to say, no one's going to believe this, right? ...No pregnant woman is like, 'Oh, I had a fever, but my president just said not to [take Tylenol]. So I would never do it.'" (07:29)

Quick News Roundup

[12:50 – 20:31]

Entertainment & Media Freedom

Jimmy Kimmel Live Returns (13:02)

• ABC brings back "Jimmy Kimmel Live" after backlash over its suspension, but Sinclair Broadcast Group refuses to air it on their ABC affiliates.
• Over 400 celebrities (e.g., Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Selena Gomez) sign an ACLU open letter against the suspension.
• Notable quiet from "The View," but Whoopi Goldberg asserts: "So, you know, no one silences us." (14:17)

Context

• Kimmel’s suspension followed comments about the murder of a conservative actor, and debate over rising media censorship under the Trump administration.

Legal & Political Developments

Trump and Agency Firings (15:23)

• Supreme Court signals openness to overturning decades-old precedent limiting a president’s ability to remove independent agency leaders; recent ruling upholds Trump’s controversial firing of FTC Commissioner Slaughter pending fuller review.

Homan Bribery Allegations (16:05)

• White House denies wrongdoing after the New York Times reports ex-Trump official Tom Homan was taped accepting a $50,000 payment—an investigation later closed by the Justice Department, which some believe may be linked to Trump’s influence.

TikTok Sale Drama (17:49)

• Trump touts a pending deal for U.S. investors—led by the likes of Larry Ellison and Michael Dell and involving Oracle—to take control of TikTok and safeguard U.S. data, ending Chinese parent ByteDance’s access.
• "A board of directors made up of national security and cybersecurity experts would have six seats on the seven-member board, that last seat being selected by ByteDance..." (18:21)

Final Thoughts & Tone

• There is skepticism and exasperation throughout, particularly regarding the politicization of health advice. Coaston expresses deep frustration at the administration's disregard for evidence and the emotional toll such policies take, especially on women.
• The recurring tone is irreverent but concerned—a mix of journalistic skepticism and conversational wit.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jane Coaston:

  • "Blaming autism on Tylenol with no evidence is part and parcel of what the Make America Healthy Again movement actually looks like." (01:52)
  • "Science is not like, you don’t give science deadlines." (04:31)

• Brandy Zadrozny:

  • "Trump needed what he thought was a win in terms of solving autism, and it seems that he pressured Kennedy to get out a report earlier than maybe it was ready." (03:22)
  • “The majority of the evidence in front of us at this moment shows that that link is just not real.” (05:54)
  • "It's a sad time for institutional trust around medicine..." (10:04)

• Trump (quoted):

  • "Nothing bad can happen. It can only good happen." (06:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:02] – Opening: Trump admin's Tylenol/autism announcement
• [03:08] – Interview with Brandy Zadrozny: Dissecting the claim
• [05:28] – Discussion of scientific evidence (or lack thereof)
• [07:29] – Dangers of discouraging Tylenol in pregnancy
• [08:39] – Gendered blame and the "natural health" fallacy
• [10:04] – Collapse of public trust in health institutions
• [12:50] – Headlines: Kimmel Live, SCOTUS, Homan, TikTok

Summary

"Dr. Trump’s Bad Medicine" delivers a critical examination of the White House's role in spreading dubious public health claims, focusing on the new, unsubstantiated Tylenol-autism connection. Jane Coaston and Brandy Zadrozny break down how this serves as a political maneuver amid turmoil, warn of the medical and societal risks involved, and lament the weakening of public faith in medical institutions. The episode closes with a sweep of important news, underscoring the broader threat of political interference to both media and democratic institutions. Coaston’s clear-eyed skepticism and Zadrozny’s expertise offer a must-listen snapshot of the intersection between politics, misinformation, and public health in a turbulent 2025.