Trump’s visa plans

Who exactly is saying that it is OK, David? I don't see any posts that claim that.

I see posts that criticise Trump's USA. They are not saying that other authoritarian dictatorships are any better. It isn't a contest, not a race to the bottom of the league.

If someone says that one gangster is a criminal do you interpret that as meaning that another is an altruistic benefactor who deserves a medal?

No, of curse not and no-one is saying thst.

We do not have a "Special Relationship" with these countries, we are not particular allies and they are of a different culture and history to ours. We may have diplomatic relationships with them but the relationship is not the same.
Therein lies the difference.

I don’t like the way Trump is behaving either, there are far more abuses in many other countries, that’s OK is it.

I agree with Elegran.

They did it as a statement on their opinion of the situation in the US. Their choice. If there were as much publicity and global influence in connection with the equivalent regimes in the other places you list, they might have been triggered to treat them the same.

The Trump regime has worked so hard at alienating all non-US countries (with certain exceptions which have a vested interest in being best pals with them) that it is not surprising that tourists are not rushing to their shores. Perhaps "Egypt, Thailand, China, Dubai even Turkey" see the financial advantages of marketing their country to travellers more clearly than the current inwardly focussing US administration.

Elegran

I wouldn't even be going anyway to any of those places, nor to the US. I have no friends or family in any of them to visit, and their political atmospheres are not attractive. There are many other destinations, including ones in my own country that I have never seen.

You or I might not but thousands do, earlier in the thread there was a group who cancelled a US trip and went to Egypt instead, bonkers but their choice.

I wouldn't even be going anyway to any of those places, nor to the US. I have no friends or family in any of them to visit, and their political atmospheres are not attractive. There are many other destinations, including ones in my own country that I have never seen.

David49

Cossy

We already made the decision not to visit the USA whilst Trump is in office - sad as have both family and friends there

Instead they can go to Egypt, Thailand, China, Dubai even Turkey all of whom are military dictatorships with very questionable human rights records.

Why would Cossy and family go to any of those places instead? She has not said she has friends and family in any of those countries.

Cossy

We already made the decision not to visit the USA whilst Trump is in office - sad as have both family and friends there

Instead they can go to Egypt, Thailand, China, Dubai even Turkey all of whom are military dictatorships with very questionable human rights records.

I am sad that so many around the world are cancelling trips here. I don't blame anyone one bit. I wouldn't either. This place has lost the plot.

That's a difficult one Cossy.

We already made the decision not to visit the USA whilst Trump is in office - sad as have both family and friends there

Welcome imaround for our dose of reality checks.

The claims in Trumps Christmas address - how much people are better off - when next year tax cuts are big on the horizon - that will mean slashing services even more - aghast. he is dismantling social and Medical care bit by bit, and it isnt going to be his rich friends who suffer.

A year is a very long time on politics, I m not a Trump supporter and I expect him to loose his majority and get impeached.

However I also expected Harris to win the last election, politics in the US are too polarized, too extreme in both directions. If the Democrats had a more moderate candidate they would have won, I agree the future battle will be on the economy, predictions of disaster have not happened, the outcome of the Epstein circus will also have its effect.

MaizieD

^If Trump looses his majority it will grid lock government which will be chaotic and may cause an economic crisis^

Goodness, David. Do you think that the US government is hunky dory and running smoothly now?

My thinking is that it will take a long time to undo the changes that Trump has made, I’m not expecting any quick fixes - we will see.

Elon has already begun donating money to the GOP for 2026 Allsorts. He may talk the talk, but he isn't walking the walk

MaizieD

^If Trump looses his majority it will grid lock government which will be chaotic and may cause an economic crisis^

Goodness, David. Do you think that the US government is hunky dory and running smoothly now?

Exactly. The government was shut down for over a month and we are on the brink of a recession, if that isn't gridlock and chaos...

If Trump looses his majority it will grid lock government which will be chaotic and may cause an economic crisis

Goodness, David. Do you think that the US government is hunky dory and running smoothly now?

If Trump looses his majority it will grid lock government which will be chaotic and may cause an economic crisis. In the likelihood of impeachment it will take a year plus to convict him and a 2/3 majority to remove him, then Vance replaces him a President - not an inticing prospect.

I have an expectation that Trump will not be as easy to remove as Nixon, he will fight fight fight. I expect him to press on with his agenda in the meantime.

How anyone in America can think he is any use must be as deranged as he. Notice Elon not on side anymore.

Smileless2012

Good grief!!! Thank goodness we don't own a property in Florida any more.

Same, we sold ours 12 years ago.

Thank you imaround.

Also, it will be the economy, not immigration, that looses him Congress.

Can't wait until Jan 1 when the health care subsidies expire and people's premiums go up so much they have to drop their health insurance. Especially since there was bipartisan support to force a vote on the subsidies and Johnson put the House in recess instead of allowing the vote.

The "they" that David is referring to is The Heritage Foundation. And "they" mean nothing when midterms come. The voters are what matter, and they are increasingly abandoning the GOP. This is based on actual numbers in polls and recent election results in reliably Red areas that overwhelmingly went Blue.

There has also been a recent uprising of the GOP in the house, against Trump policies, which can be found online with a simple Google search in case someone wants actual facts.

The voters are so important that the GOP is doing everything they can to limit their votes including gerrymandering, removing millions of eligible voters from voter rolls, asking states and the supreme Court to do unconstitutional things, and more.

They are so sure that they can't win in 2026 that Mike Johnson recently appealed to his base that Trump will be impeached of Dems are allowed to win. He is 100% correct.