MAGA-aligned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for Governor, announced on Monday that he’s suing the makers of Tylenol, alleging that the company deceptively marketed the medication (acetaminophen) to pregnant women despite alleged links to autism and other disorders.
Note: The maker of Tylenol and physician groups say the allegation is not supported by research, and that any association that has been seen between autism and acetaminophen in studies doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a causal relationship.
Paxton’s allegations echo those voiced by President Donald Trump in September at a White House briefing with Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Trump linked Tylenol with rising cases of autism in recent years, and said: “Don’t take Tylenol if you’re pregnant, and don’t give Tylenol to your child.” He added, “Fight like hell not to take it.”
Former U.S. Representative Colin Allred (D-TX), who launched his 2026 U.S. Senate campaign this summer, responded to the lawsuit by calling Paxton a “bootlicker.”
Allred wrote: “BREAKING: America’s next top bootlicker @KenPaxtonTX wastes taxpayer resources for political clout with Trump instead of protecting 3.5M Texans who are about to lose SNAP benefits.”
BREAKING: America’s next top bootlicker @KenPaxtonTX wastes taxpayer resources for political clout with Trump instead of protecting 3.5M Texans who are about to lose SNAP benefits. https://t.co/xxj9wKRUUf
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) October 28, 2025
Not all Republicans are falling in line with Trump’s advice regarding Tylenol. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who voted with all of his Republican Senate colleagues except retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to confirm Kennedy as HHS Secretary (52-48), said: “If I were a woman, I’d be talking to my doctor and not taking advice from RFK or any other bureaucrat for that matter.”
Note: Allred lost the 2024 Senate election to incumbent U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) by 8.5 points while outperforming the top of the ticket. This year in the Democratic primary, Allred faces Texas State Rep. James Talarico, who the Texas Tribune describes as “a four-term lawmaker from Austin who is seen as a rising star in the party.”