Biden's Democratic primary challenger Dean Phillips tears into 'absurd' menthol cigarette ban he says will infringe on American 'liberty' and 'freedom'

President Joe Biden's 2024 Democratic challenger Rep. Dean Phillips is tearing into the administration's proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, calling it 'absurd.' 

In a recent radio interview, Phillips was asked about the administration's push to ban menthol cigarettes, which is currently in the final review and approval process. He called it 'one of the great American debates.'

'Freedom and liberty mean the world to me. I get concerned about a government that tells its citizens what they can and cannot do, especially if it doesn't hurt another American citizen,' he told New Hampshire radio host Drew Kline.  

He added: 'As it relates to banning certain flavors of tobacco, I think that's absurd.' 

Phillips said it's similar to the debate of the federal government forcing Americans to wear motorcycle helmets or seatbelts, which is 'not an easy answer.' 

The congressman went on to say that there should be tax policy and age restrictions to dissuade children from getting their hands on flavored cigarettes.

A string of recent polls reveal that President Biden's proposed ban on menthol cigarettes may have 'unintended consequences' for him at the ballot box in 2024. Experts say that the ban will alienate his traditional base and may even drive votes to Republicans come next November.

Last week, Republican pollster and strategist Kellyanne Conway told DailyMail.com that Biden should be prepared to 'face the consequences' at the ballot box if his administration moves forward with pushing a menthol cigarette ban.

She pointed to new survey results obtained by DailyMail.com that show over six in 10 voters nationwide agree that the banning of menthol cigarettes will disproportionately harm minority communities - and that includes 63 percent of Democrats.

In the battleground states of Nevada and North Carolina in particular, over half of voters are discouraged from supporting any menthol ban.

'The data shows that Biden's executive and regulatory actions are opposed by Blacks, Hispanics, young people, independents and suburban women – the same demographics straying away from him and upon whom he relied on to win in 2020,' Conway discovered. 

'At a time when poll after poll show Joe Biden is hemorrhaging voters in his own party, the Biden White House is seeking to ban menthol cigarettes which as our poll found, would push non-whites and young voters further away from Biden and closer to Republicans,' Conway told DailyMail.com. 

In addition, according to findings from a survey by Nuestro PAC, black and Latino voters are worried that the proposed ban would 'push the product into the illegal black market' and increase crime.

Eighty percent of black and Latinos said they agreed that the government should 'fully explore concerns' before moving forward with the ban. 

Those findings align with a recent push by Rev. Al Sharpton urging administration to walk back its proposed ban - which is currently in the final stages of approval.

Sharpton wrote to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf earlier this month, saying the ban will impact minority communities and foster 'illicit markets and more police interaction.'

In addition, law enforcement officials previously told DailyMail.com that the ban would lead to an increase in black market trafficking, cartel and gang violence and unregulated cigarettes - which could be laced with dangerous drugs, including fentanyl. 

And it will impact minority communities the most, because menthols are smoked predominantly by black and Latino communities - at over 80 percent - said retired New York State Police officer Elliot Boyce.

The Biden administration is also catching heat for pushing for the menthol ban while moving to decriminalize marijuana.  

Over the summer, Biden asked the DEA to downgrade marijuana laws ahead of the 2024 election - despite slamming cannabis as a 'gateway drug' as recently as 2019. 

Top Republican campaign operatives say it will turn voters away from Biden. 

'Criminalizing menthol cigarettes while advocating for drug decriminalization makes zero sense from a policy perspective,' said National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jason Thielman. 

'From a political perspective, this issue will almost certainly accelerate working-class Black voters' move away from the Democratic Party. In key swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Michigan, doing slightly better with working-class Black voters could make all the difference,' he continued in a statement to DailyMail.com.

The Biden administration has maintained that the criminalization of menthols would help Americans become less addicted over time. 

'The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit,' HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra previously said.

'Additionally, the proposed rules represent an important step to advance health equity by significantly reducing tobacco-related health disparities,' he continued.