Donald Trump’s ugly and aggressive rhetoric has driven so many Europeans to lately make a new type of travel plan. More recently, a 53-year-old business owner was pushed to cancel his planned trip to the United States. He mentioned the current political atmosphere and the president’s incendiary rhetoric as his reasons. French tourists—and other Europeans—are more and more unwilling to visit the U.S. This mood is in the air all over the continent.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been vocally and institutionally involved in reducing fears associated with travel to the United States. He promises international travelers they will no longer be subjected to detention under policies implemented during Trump’s administration. Unfortunately, the damage might already be done. This has led to deep anger and a sense of betrayal amongst European countries, due to Trump’s siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump’s frozen aid to Ukraine, and his general hostile anti-European rhetoric.
The Impact of Trump’s Rhetoric
Travelers from Europe are more and more second-guessing their travel plans, as they make the decision to stand up to Trump’s damaging rhetoric. One notable case is that of a British writer who canceled a month-long trip to Seattle because of the president’s rhetoric. Swedish national Johan Björnsson recently made the decision to scrap a planned 2026 cruise from Miami as a result. He lost a nonrefundable $500 deposit for not appearing in protest of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies.
Trump’s administration has instilled a sense of uncertainty and risk among European travelers. And a new survey from AAA found most Americans are scrubbing their travel plans. As they face the reality of Trump’s aggressive travel ban-causing body language and the trade wars with Europe, they are reconsidering their travel strategies.
Declining Interest in US Travel
The consequences of Trump’s rhetoric are far-reaching, even beyond each specific cancellation. The travel forecasting whiz-kids, Tourism Economics, have just revised their projections upwards. They’ve since revised their forecast to a 9.4% decrease in international visitation to the US for the year. This downturn aligns with a broader trend. For travel between Canada and the U.S., bookings for the same period — April through September — have tanked by more than 70%. This dramatic drop is a major departure from the same time last year.
Industry leaders have referred to this drop in interest as “unprecedented.” The U.S. travel industry is now reeling from the effects of the Trump administration. This development has fostered enormous confusion and apprehension among would be travelers from Europe.
Urgent Warnings from EU Officials
The European Union Commission is encouraging their 450 million citizens to be independent in times of crisis. Whether it’s cyberattacks, climate disasters, disease outbreaks or geopolitical conflict, their message is clear – our greatest threats are coming faster and with more severity. The Commission’s ominous warning adds that these emergencies could be related to measures implemented by Trump’s administration. It doesn’t mean the reactions to his policy responses aren’t responsible for these outcomes.
This policy suggestion to begin stockpiling necessities is an indication of increasing panic throughout Europe about the future of stability and safety outside the U.S. under its current policies. Many Europeans view Trump’s administration’s anti-Europe rhetoric as a dangerous precedent that could lead to further complications in transatlantic relations.
