Some words can be hard for people to pronounce, and for many, it might take a few tries to get it right, especially if they’ve never actually said the world out loud before. Unfortunately, that sort of pass isn’t usually given to a sitting president, so when Donald Trump appeared to struggle pronouncing ‘acetaminophen,’ many called him out for it on social media.
In a TikTok clip from Trump’s press briefing where he spoke about Tylenol being an alleged factor being autism in children, he seems to stumble over the word as he reads it from the paper in front of him. And, again, that would be totally fine for someone who is not the leader of a country, and public speaking isn’t easy for everyone. The president should probably have a better handle on things, though, not gonna lie.
@democrats sound it out 😭
♬ original sound – Democrats
Trump stumbled over reading the word ‘acetaminophen’ out loud.
You would think that, with Trump making such a big announcement and claim about a leading pain reliever and a diagnosis that parents take extremely seriously, he might have prepared better for the press briefings. That doesn’t seem to be the case, judging by the clip. In it, Trump tries and fails to pronounce it twice before he finally gets it right. He is trying to explain, “The FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen” can be a cause for autism if pregnant women take it.
However, Trump barely gets the words out as he stumbles over pronouncing acetaminophen, which is the over-the-counter name for Tylenol. Under the video, which was posted by an account called Democrats, people came for Trump and bashed him for mispronouncing the word.
One comment with an image of Elmo from Sesame Street said, “That’s a big word for Mr. President.”
Another wrote, “He wants to ban it but CAN’T EVEN SAY IT?????”
Someone else joked, “I wanna hear him say Worcestershire sauce.” And, given the way that even those who are a tad more educated than Trump pronounce Worcestershire sauce, that’s a fair request.
Others pointed out that Trump’s plans to close the Education Department are looking a little ironic now.
And, as some users commented on the video, didn’t Trump have a decent amount of time before speaking to the press to get these words down? Did he not practice his talking points or at least look for words he might not be able to, you know, pronounce to a room full of reporters?
Trump also said, per MSNBC, in regards to vaccines for children, “Don’t let ’em pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you’ve ever seen in your life, going into the delicate little body of a baby.”
After Trump’s announcement about Tylenol and acetaminophen, Kenvue, the parent company of Tylenol, released a statement, according to CBS News.
“Independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” the statement said. “Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives.”
