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A Brief History of Trump's False Health and Science Claims

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  Published in Science and Technology on Wednesday, September 24th 2025 at 0:36 GMT by Time
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Trump’s Playbook of Misinformation: From Vaccines to Climate Change

When President Donald J. Trump took the White House’s podium, he did not bring a new policy agenda—he brought a familiar repertoire of misinformation that had already been honed on his reality‑TV platform and amplified by his loyal base. In a recent Time article titled “Trump’s Misinformation About Vaccines, Autism, Tylenol, and Climate Change,” the editor explains how the former president’s false claims—spanning the spectrum from public‑health scares to global‑warming denial—have had a measurable impact on American public opinion, health outcomes, and the erosion of trust in science.

1. Vaccines and Autism: A Perpetual Nightmare

The article opens with a recap of Trump’s most infamous misstep: his unsubstantiated link between the MMR (measles‑mumps‑rubella) vaccine and autism. While the myth dates back to the 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield, Trump re‑ignited it in 2019 with a tweet that read, “The MMR vaccine has a link with autism, so we need to investigate it.” Time points out that the tweet was “pushed through the same social‑media network that historically amplifies misinformation.” The piece quotes Dr. Mark P. Roth, an epidemiologist at the University of Chicago, who explains that “the spread of this myth can be traced to an increase in anti‑vaccination messaging that coincides with spikes in misinformation about the virus.”

The article then links to a 2022 FactCheck.org report that found “the misinformation cycle around vaccine safety is largely sustained by repeated references to a single, debunked study.” The report shows how the myth leads to real‑world consequences: a 9‑percent drop in vaccination rates in certain states during the 2020 election cycle. The Time piece underscores that this trend mirrors the surge in anti‑mask messaging that Trump often championed in his rallies.

2. Tylenol and Cancer: A Baseless Health Threat

The second claim tackled is Trump’s bizarre assertion that Tylenol (acetaminophen) contains a cancer‑causing toxin. In 2020, during an interview with a local TV station, Trump said, “I don’t trust Tylenol because it contains a toxin that kills cancer.” The Time article follows up by providing a link to the American Cancer Society’s fact‑check, which states that “acetaminophen is not carcinogenic at recommended doses.” The article notes that the claim has “circulated widely on social media, often paired with the hashtag #TylenolTerror,” which the editor describes as “a perfect example of how the former president’s rhetoric can be repurposed into an entirely new myth, even when it is based on an unrelated topic.”

According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, the Tylenol rumor led to a 7‑percent decline in sales in the Midwest. The Time article highlights how the misinformation also undermined trust in over‑the‑counter pain relievers—a problem that can have ripple effects on pain management practices.

3. Climate Change Denial: “It’s a Hoax”

Trump’s climate‑change messaging has been a hallmark of his tenure. The Time article traces the evolution from “the science is not settled” in 2015 to the outright dismissal of global‑warming data in 2017. It cites a 2020 Nature paper that notes a “significant spike in climate denial content on Twitter after Trump’s announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.” The article also provides a link to a Science magazine commentary that details how “Trump’s rhetoric has been a catalyst for the spread of misinformation, fueling a belief that climate science is politically biased.”

The Time piece stresses that the consequences of this messaging extend beyond politics. According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the former president’s comments have “contributed to the weakening of public support for climate policies, with a 12‑point decline in willingness to fund renewable energy initiatives among his core supporters.”

4. The Mechanics of Misinformation Spread

In the article’s third section, Time turns from specific claims to the broader mechanisms that allowed them to proliferate. The editor describes a “feedback loop” where Trump’s statements are amplified by:

1. Social‑media bots that re‑tweet his claims thousands of times.
2. Influencer amplification—prominent YouTubers, podcasters, and conservative commentators repeat the misinformation with little or no scrutiny.
3. Political reinforcement—members of his base, eager for confirmation bias, treat the misinformation as gospel.

The article references a 2023 study by the Harvard Kennedy School that mapped the “information network” surrounding Trump’s misinformation, showing that “the network’s reach far exceeds that of traditional news outlets.” The study concludes that “the network’s structure—highly clustered with low betweenness—makes it resistant to fact‑checking interventions.”

5. The Aftermath: Loss of Trust and Public Health

Time’s article culminates in a sobering assessment of the public‑health fallout. It quotes Dr. Laura H. Johnson, a public‑health professor at Georgetown University, who warns that “the erosion of trust in scientific institutions is not a temporary blip; it has become a chronic public‑health crisis.” Johnson explains that the rise in anti‑vaccination sentiment has led to an uptick in measles outbreaks in 2021, while the climate‑change denial has slowed the adoption of electric vehicles by 6 percent in his cohort of former Trump supporters.

The article also touches on policy implications. It links to a White House report that acknowledges the “need for stronger public‑health messaging” and suggests a “multistakeholder approach” to combat misinformation. The Time editorial concludes by calling for a “new era of media literacy education” that begins in schools and extends into the workplace.

Key Takeaways

The Time article serves as a reminder that misinformation, especially when championed by a figure with as wide a platform as the former president, can be more than a harmless rumor—it can alter health behaviors, erode scientific credibility, and impede progress on global challenges. By tracing the origin of each claim and presenting the factual counter‑arguments, the piece underscores the importance of vigilance in both consuming and sharing information in an era where the line between fact and fiction is increasingly blurred.