Zeller, who oversaw the FDA’s center for the entire first Trump administration, noted that no political appointees from the FDA, HHS, or the White House pressured the review of applications.
He attributes recent shifts in FDA policy to the influence tobacco firms have gained through access to the White House.
The administration moved quickly to reverse a Biden‑era proposal that would have banned menthol cigarettes, and it facilitated the approval of nicotine pouches such as Zyn, products that were first cleared under a previous administration. Analysts observed that enforcement actions against illicit e‑cigarettes were viewed positively, indicating a potential advantage for legal market players.
Government layoffs during the Trump years severely weakened public‑health tobacco control efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s office of smoking saw its budget and staffing sharply reduced, and its flagship “Tips From Former Smokers” campaign has been off the air for months.
King argues that reduced funding for prevention and control is likely to drive higher tobacco use and related disease, especially after decades of success in cutting cigarette consumption.
The administration’s emphasis on chronic disease, encapsulated in its “Make America Healthy Again” slogan, clashes with the lack of tobacco control. King likened the effort to attempting a triathlon without a bicycle, suggesting inevitable failure before even starting.
