Do you remember President Trump’s take on vaping during his first term? He said he would ban the sale of most flavored vapes, and the Trump administration, in 2020, announced a limited ban on fruit and mint-flavored e-cigarettes. However, a completely contradictory statement by him has sparked debate over vape regulations and the future of the vape industry.

In September 2024, Donald Trump took to Truth Social, saying he would save vaping. He posted:  "I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking. I raised the age to 21, keeping it away from the “kids.” Kamala and Joe want everything banned, killing small businesses all over the Country. I’ll save Vaping again!"

Did He Save Vaping in 2019?

During his tenure, President Trump was under a lot of pressure to address the rise in youth vaping. In response, his administration proposed a vaping ban. The ban wasn’t full-on and allowed menthol and tobacco flavors to remain on the market—the sale of vapes continued. Perhaps he was why the vape market wasn’t wiped out entirely?

While the situation with flavored vapes was changing fast (for instance, the 2025 California flavor ban), Trump’s post has brought back hope. But even though most would think the vaping industry’s influence and political guile are in the play, is it all that?

Reasons to Save Vaping

1. The vaping industry has advocated that vaping serves as a harm-reduction tool and an alternative for those who want to quit smoking traditional tobacco products. According to the advocates, restrictive regulations can redirect consumers toward unregulated and more dangerous options.

2. Then there are the thousands of small businesses that will go down if vaping were to be banned.

Seeing the big picture from this perspective seems to have contributed to Trump’s change in view on vaping. However, his renewed support for vaping has added fuel to the already-burning flames of the vape or no-vape debate. Many are calling his decision a result of industry lobbying and pure politics instead of public health policymaking.

For industry representatives, it is a great opportunity to promote vaping as an alternative to smoking, and a ray of hope for passionate vapers who wouldn’t want their favorite flavors to suddenly fade into nothingness.

Meanwhile, public health advocates continue to express concerns about nicotine addiction among youth.

Conclusion

Concerns about nicotine addiction should be just as concerning as smoking cigarettes or using nicotine patches and gums. Vapes could actually be the cigarette eliminator because it allows for reducing nicotine addiction.

The vaping industry has been called redundant by some—it offers an alternative to smoking, with a way to address nicotine addiction that could eventually lead to its own end.

E-liquids and disposable vapes come in different nicotine strengths, including 5%, 3%, and 0-nicotine products that empower individuals who want to quit nicotine to do just so gradually—a step-by-step process, per se. So, once people have gotten over tobacco cigarettes through vaping and nicotine through customized vaping, they may stop vaping entirely, which could ultimately lead to the downfall of the vape market.

We bet most people never considered this possibility because no industry plans to eradicate itself, but what if there was a hero among all?