Trump’s changing attitude towards vaping policies

From what the world has recently witnessed, the White House is now no longer the national symbol of the U.S., but the center of a comedy stage. President Donald Trump has yet again reversed another potential big health law, waving off the benefits that it could bring.

According to The Washington Post, Trump backed away from a supposed vaping ban, which was designed to ban popular flavors in order to discourage youth from vaping, after being approached by vape companies and vape advocacy groups. It seems that pursuing his own goals over the welfare of this country is now the president’s No. 1 one go-to for any act.

Despite being initially optimistic about the ban, Trump was pushed by vaping advocate groups on the “forecasted” economic losses that would follow the ban. His campaign manager, Brad Parsale, also did not favor the ban, warning that it could hurt voter support. 

Trump’s outrageous act of refusing to sign the ban because of his own political interests will endanger the health of 2.1 million teens, which is an estimate by the Child Mind Institute on the number of middle and high school students that currently vape. This type of action is also reflected in his nearly identical decision to back down from the red flag gun laws after gun-control supporters criticized him.

As seen in these two instances, it is clear that Trump leans more toward personal gains rather than the good of the nation, doing exactly what the president of the United States should not be doing.

While pro-vape groups state that vape products are not intended to be used by minors, it is clear that the opposite is true due to the wide abundance of flavors that appeal to the younger generation. Trump, however, accepted this supposed excuse and once again chose to prioritize his reelection chances and economy over younger people’s health.

In another White House meeting two months after the proposed banning of most flavored electronic cigarettes, Trump again sought to justify his decision to shut down the prospect of a ban with another constructed prediction, saying that even if the ban was passed, these banned flavors would “come here illegally.”

And now, Trump is putting all of his decisions behind the possibility that if a ban was put in place, unregulated e-cigarettes will be imported from Mexico and China, which may contain harmful ingredients that are unapproved by the law.

Even so, isn’t there just the slightest chance that underaged vaping may decrease due to the unavailability of numerous e-cigarette suppliers? Trump has built his own wall of unorthodox excuses to defend a wrongdoing, even going so far as to completely deny the benefits that may arise from the vape ban.

Situations like this are almost a common occurrence nowadays under the oversight of our president, and his decision to prevent the passing of such an important and necessary law is certainly something that should be frowned upon and perhaps reversed for the good of the people.