"We applaud the president for what appears to be a move in the right direction for adult smokers and their families. Bans don't work, they never have," said Tony Abboud, director of the Vapor Technology Association on Monday.
Trump reportedly shied away from the bold measure during a flight to a rally in Kentucky on November 4. He justified the move by saying a ban could force vaping shops to close and cost jobs, the newspapers quoted sources close to the president as saying. But he had flagged his concern over the issue on September 11, when he said in the Oval Office, "We can't allow people to get sick, and we can't have our youth be so affected."
His health secretary, Alex Aznar, swiftly announced there would be a ban on all flavors except for tobacco flavor. The goal was to deter teenagers from vaping, after a survey showed that one high school student in four admitted to having used e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days. The most popular flavors among teenagers were mint, fruit and mango. That triggered a vigorous lobbying campaign by the tobacco and vaping industry, which according to the press reports led to the president to step back from an outright ban.