Summit, New Jersey, a prosperous commuter town approximately 40 minutes from Manhattan, attracts those seeking refuge from the bustling city life.

However, this week, the quiet town gained national attention when Tylenol, an over-the-counter painkiller produced by Kenvue, a company based there, became central to a contentious autism debate.

In a surprising address on Monday, Trump advised pregnant women to avoid the painkiller, associating its use with autism in children of mothers who take it.

Some major studies have suggested a connection between the active ingredient, acetaminophen, and higher rates of the neurodevelopmental condition.

But larger, arguably more robust research has found no credible link, and health authorities continue to recommend the drug as safe for pregnant women when medically necessary.

When the Daily Mail visited Summit the day after Trump’s announcement, Kenvue employees were too spooked to talk. 

One staffer admitted he had no idea what the president said about the drug, while others seemed entirely unconcerned by the headlines sweeping the nation. Another nearly ran herself off the sidewalk when approached for comment. 

Meanwhile, locals in the small town expressed a mix of curiosity, skepticism, and outright fury over Trump’s pronouncement. 

Standing outside a local CVS Pharmacy, just a few blocks from Kenvue’s headquarters, 85-year-old Robert Siderman shared his thoughts on the president’s warning.

‘Trump is “full of s***”,’ he said, going on to explain that his wife took the pill while she was pregnant and their kids turned out ‘OK.’ 

‘I took a lot of Tylenol in my life,’ Siderman added.

A doctor, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mail that as a practicing physician he found the news about Tylenol ‘ridiculous.’ 

The psychiatrist said, sadly, he thinks the only people who will be spooked by the announcement are those who support Trump.

He also fears that the new information will make people turn toward other painkillers, including stronger, more addictive medication. 

Tylenol is considered the only safe painkiller for pregnant women to take for fever in pain. 

Other common medications, including Advil or Aleve, are not recommended during pregnancy because it could harm fetal development, Dr. Salena Zanotti, an obstetrician and gynecologist, told the Cleveland Clinic. 

Both Adil and Aleve are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that can cause serious harm to an unborn baby. 

Many medical professionals, including Zanotti, agree that ‘it’s riskier to have an untreated fever than it is to take acetaminophen,’ she previously told the outlet. 

If a pregnant woman’s fever goes untreated, it can result in serious harm to the fetus, including miscarriage, birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight. 

Mothers can also experience sepsis or organ damage from not treating a fever while pregnant.  

While some locals seemed upset over Trump’s claim, one woman appeared somewhat optimistic that the country might be getting closer to figuring out what might be triggering autism. 

‘Something’s causing it, we don’t know,’ the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said of autism. 

She added: ‘I think there’s so much out there, I think it’s more than one item, but hey, I don’t know.’

When asked about inconsistent research surrounding the link between Tylenol and the neurodevelopmental disorder, the local fired back: ‘Well there’s no proof for anything and why is there autism? 

‘You gotta start somewhere,’ she added. 

The US is in the midst of a ballooning autism crisis, with one in every 31 children now said to be suffering from the condition, among the highest rate in the world and a surge from one in 150 children in 2000. 

While many think increased awareness and better diagnosis helps, America has higher autism rates than peer nations in Europe. 

France and Germany are recording just one in 100 cases, while in Sweden, it is seven in 1,000. The difference is less stark in Canada and the UK, which have a rate of around 1 in 50.

Tylenol was owned by Johnson & Johnson for decades after they acquired the well-known medication from its original maker, McNeil Laboratories, in 1959. 

In 2023, the company moved its consumer health division to Kenvue, a publicly traded company that now owns the painkiller. 

Kenvue’s headquarters moved from Skillman, New Jersey to Summit in March 2025.

The company employees about 22,000 workers as of 2024. The new 290,0000 square-foot facility is a hub for marketing, scientists, research and development, artificial intelligence, legal, communications and operations and high tech and data. 

Kirk Perry was appointed the interim CEO of Kenvue in July. He succeeded Thibaut Mongon, who stepped down amid an internal review of the company’s operations, USA Today reported. 

The headquarters alone has helped build the local economy by bringing a number of new jobs and investment into the area. 

Tylenol is not made there, as the Garden State facility only oversees the brand and others. There are production sites for the medication in Pennsylvania, Canada and Puerto Rico. 

A massive number of pills are manufactured daily, but it is unclear exactly how many as the proprietary information is not disclosed by Kenvue.  

Kenvue also owns other key brands, including Zyrtec, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Band-Aid, Johnson’s Baby and Listerine and more. 

Soon after Trump’s administration made the claim about Tylenol, Kenvue pushed back and said the drug remains the safest option for pain and fever relief in pregnant women.

‘We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,’ a spokeswoman for Kenvue said. 

‘We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.

‘Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: Suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives.

‘The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.

‘We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree. We will continue to explore all options to protect the health interests of the American women and children.’

The Trump administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr have made it a top priority to tackle America’s rising autism rates, with 1 in 31 children now estimated to have the condition compared to 1 in 150 children in 2000.

Experts say the increase is largely due to a loosening of the definition of autism and because doctors have become better at detecting the condition.

But others, including RFK Jr, have suggested toxins in the environment, older parents or maternal obesity could be behind the rise.