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I never thought of it like this before, but I think you are absolutely correct. 'Laws are for other people' might be the best descriptor of this phenomena. Its how American exceptionalism manifests at the level of the individual. Or maybe the other way around, this is core American ethic and exceptionalism at the national level is just the aggregate result.

An unfortunate aspect of the American system in today's political climate is that there are many veto points and it's even /typical/ for any new actions to be struck down by courts, so there is a sense in which it's rational to expect any new policies to never actually take effect.

I think from so many examples that many don't think the laws will be imposed on them. See so many latino republicans tearful interviews when their relatives get deported after supporting the Trump 2024 campaign. Or farmers who's business is selling their crops harvested by migrant laborers to overseas buyers. Factory owners or resellers dependent on imported goods. The list goes on and on, with the common theme of "I didn't think it would affect/happen to me!".