According to the New York Times, during a November 4 flight to a political rally in Kentucky, Trump was warned by political advisers and lobbyists not to impose any widespread bans on vaping, as doing so could potentially be met with criticism from his supporters.
Vaping industry allies also reportedly showed Trump a poll commissioned for the Vapor Technology Association which “surveyed battleground state voters who vape” and “showed negative results for Mr. Trump if he went ahead with a ban,” the Times reported.
In recent weeks, Trump has been lobbied by tobacco and vaping companies, as well as organizations like Americans for Tax Reform, which are against regulatory restrictions that would affect the booming e-cigarette industry, the Times added.
During the early November flight, Trump was advised to instead meet with additional experts before making any decisions, a move which appears as though Trump took to heart since he revealed on Twitter last Monday that he would soon be meeting with medical professionals and vaping industry representatives to discuss the rise in e-cigarette-related deaths.
“Will be meeting with representatives of the Vaping industry, together with medical professionals and individual state representatives, to come up with an acceptable solution to the Vaping and E-cigarette dilemma,” POTUS tweeted. “Children’s health & safety, together with jobs, will be a focus!”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report last Thursday confirming 42 people across 24 US states have died from lung injuries linked to e-cigarette use. More than 2,000 patients have also experienced vaping-related illnesses in recent months.
It’s presently unclear when the meeting between Trump and representatives is expected to take place.