Colbert slams Trump over 'f**king crazy' autism claim

Late-night host Stephen Colbert sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Tuesday for a press conference in which he linked autism to a drug he struggled to pronounce, calling the moment 'insane.' Colbert followed with a segment in which he labeled Trump's remarks 'f**king crazy.' The remarks came after Trump asserted that the pain reliever acetaminophen, sold as Tylenol, can cause autism and warned women not to take it during pregnancy.

On Tuesday's Late Show, Colbert said the press conference was insane and that Trump had uttered 'fking crazy' remarks about autism. 'Autism is a simple term that actually covers a variety of developmental differences across the spectrum and you can't blame anyone, even Donald Trump, for seeking answers,' Colbert said on Tuesday. 'But experts in the field caution that what President Trump said in his speech yesterday was — and I don’t want to get bogged down in technical jargon here — 'fking crazy,'" he added.

Experts slammed the claim as irresponsible and highly unsettling. The assertion rested on a single paper that reported a correlation between prenatal exposure to the drug and autism. 'The lead author of that study cautioned that correlation is not causation,' Colbert noted, echoing the scientific caveat. He also referenced a moment from the broadcast, joking, 'For example, I picked a side salad over fries the day my show got canceled. Is that why? Probably not. But just to be safe, I will never eat a salad again.' A portion of the monologue highlighted footage of Trump stumbling over the word 'acetaminophen' during the press event, underscoring the broader critique of the briefing.

The exchange and Colbert's commentary come as medical experts continue to emphasize caution around drawing health conclusions from correlational studies and as late-night hosts weigh in on the president's public health statements. Viewers were directed to see more in Colbert's Tuesday-night monologue, which organizers described as continuing the discussion about accuracy and accountability in public discourse.