Trump's presidential campaign supported by the cigar industry

According to the organization Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. held a presidential campaign fundraiser on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, supported by cigar manufacturers. These same manufacturers are currently lobbying the administration and Congress to relax current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations on their products.

The fundraiser provided an opportunity for cigar industry representatives and lobbyists to speak out, calling for a relaxation of current FDA regulations aimed at protecting youth and public health. It also provided an opportunity to highlight premium cigar maker Greg Zimmerman, president of the Pennsylvania Premium Cigar Retailers Association.

" It will be a great night to support President Trump and smoke cigars while listening to cigar industry experts like Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigars, Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel Cigars, and special guests Tommy Hicks, Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee, and the Trump campaign's most trusted advisor, Donald Trump Jr. ", promises the presentation of the event on Facebook.

On many online cigar sales sites, you can also read " Profits from every cigar sold go to support organizations for the re-election of our President Donald J. Trump. »

From a public health perspective, there is no data to justify exempting cigars/cigarillos from FDA oversight, especially since cigars are smoked by over 1.4 million children.[1] in the United States and are sold in hundreds of flavors that are particularly attractive to younger people (fruity flavors like mango, banana). The share of cigars/cigarillos has increased sharply among young people in school, even exceeding that of cigarettes, and cigar/cigarillo consumption is particularly high among African-American students.

The 2016 regulations includes cigars/cigarillos in the tobacco product tracking. The FDA had rejected the requested exemptions for cigars/cigarillos, finding that all cigars increase the risk of disease, are addictive, and produce secondhand smoke that can cause illness in non-users. The science has not evolved, and any exemption would represent an opportunity for tobacco manufacturers to circumvent the process of developing products that appeal to children.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provides in its guidelines[2] that political parties are not financed by tobacco manufacturers in order to protect public policies from their lobbying actions.

©Generation Without Tobacco

[1] Wang TW, Gentzke AS, Creamer MR, et al. Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2019. MMWR Surveill Summ 2019;68(No. SS-12):1–22. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6812a1

[2] https://www.generationsanstabac.org/application-de-la-cclat-par-les-parties/

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