Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[generalnerd]

Just the fact that she started a sentence with ""Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country" tells you all you need to know.

The USA is cooked unless they can get rid of these loons, and quickly.

He was saying that Bruce Springsteen should ‘see how it all goes for him’ when he gets back to the usa in this bizarre tweet

 

[najaB]

Something that occurred to me this week is that airports with US CBP pre-clearance will likely be doing quite good business of late. I need to go to the US in July and I'm probably going to travel down to Dublin and fly from there. Worst thing that happens if they get antsy about letting me in is that I have a long-weekend in Ireland. Much better than ending up in a detention centre for a month!

 

[ainsworth74]

Yes I've been thinking this for a while. I have no intention of going to the US at the moment but if for some strange reason a trip becomes unavoidable I'll definitely be routeing myself through Dublin (or Shannon, can you still get flights via Shannon?!) to deal with the border formalities in a safe country.

 

[generalnerd]

I’ll be doing the same if I ever go, gives you a nice sense of security and it’ll give me an opportunity to try the ferries and trains to/around Ireland.

 

[1D54]

Something that occurred to me this week is that airports with US CBP pre-clearance will likely be doing quite good business of late. I need to go to the US in July and I'm probably going to travel down to Dublin and fly from there. Worst thing that happens if they get antsy about letting me in is that I have a long-weekend in Ireland. Much better than ending up in a detention centre for a month!

Thousands of us fly to the USA every week from Heathrow etc and encounter no issues whatsoever once across the pond. There seems to mass hysteria running amok in this country at the moment, if however people have something to hide then clearance at DUB is probably a good thing but there again it always was!

 

[baz962]

Thousands of us fly to the USA every week from Heathrow etc and encounter no issues whatsoever once across the pond. There seems to mass hysteria running amok in this country at the moment, if however people have something to hide then clearance at DUB is probably a good thing but there again it always was!

Yes it does make me laugh. I flew there in March and 5 minutes after picking up my suitcase I was through customs and out.

 

[Harpo]

Thousands of us fly to the USA every week from Heathrow etc and encounter no issues whatsoever once across the pond. There seems to mass hysteria running amok in this country at the moment

Hysteria? Stability is not a Trump characteristic. I’d not care to predict what he will do this morning let alone how his behaviour might impact a very expensive trip to the US in the near future.

Maybe getting to the US via EU territory could also get sticky given today’s tariff tantrum?

 

[najaB]

Thousands of us fly to the USA every week from Heathrow etc and encounter no issues whatsoever once across the pond. There seems to mass hysteria running amok in this country at the moment...

It's not hysteria.

Yes, thousands fly to the USA without issue, however there has been a noted increase in issues at the border (to the extent that several countries such as Germany have issued travel advice to their citizens stating as much), so it makes sense to take steps to avoid issues.

As an example, some companies and organisations now issue staff travelling to the USA with separate electronic devices. I'm yet to come across a large company legal/compliance department that's prone to hysteria.

Without putting too fine a point on it, as a brown person on a non business trip, travelling through a pre clearance airport seems to fall into the sensible category.

 

[Bayum]

He’s a child. The only way he can get people to bend to his whim is through fear of loss of £££. Tariffs, international students etc.

 

[Magdalia]

Yes it does make me laugh. I flew there in March and 5 minutes after picking up my suitcase I was through customs and out.

Hysteria? Stability is not a Trump characteristic. I’d not care to predict what he will do this morning let alone how his behaviour might impact a very expensive trip to the US in the near future.

Maybe getting to the US via EU territory could also get sticky given today’s tariff tantrum?

What happened in March is a long time ago now.

 

[najaB]

What happened in March is a long time ago now.

Indeed. It's clear that adverse events are becoming more common as time passes.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I got sent this earlier.

Donald Trunk.

Like an elephant, he lumbers around breaking everything he bumps in to.

( Image shows an orange elephant in an office with tall windows wearing a flag with stars on and a wig and with a scowling expression on his face; in the background is a US flag on the left and a Presidential Seal flag on the right. )

 

[DelW]

I got sent this earlier.

Donald Trunk.

Like an elephant, he lumbers around breaking everything he bumps in to.

( Image shows an orange elephant in an office with tall windows wearing a flag with stars on and a wig and with a scowling expression on his face; in the background is a US flag on the left and a Presidential Seal flag on the right. )

I think that's a very unfair comparison.

I understand that elephants are intelligent animals who live in highly evolved and co-operative social groups, and who are solicitous and caring of other animals in their group.

There is thus little similarity between them and Trump.

 

[baz962]

What happened in March is a long time ago now.

I'm going again next week. I will let you know how I get on.

 

[Gloster]

I'm going again next week. I will let you know how I get on.

It might be better to use your one ‘phone call/e-mail to contact a lawyer.

 

[baz962]

It might be better to use your one ‘phone call/e-mail to contact a lawyer.

Didn't need it 8 weeks ago and doubt i will now. Couple of colleagues have just been and are going back . The nonsense on here.

 

[najaB]

I'm going again next week. I will let you know how I get on.

As already noted, the odds are that your trip will be uneventful. However the odds of something going wrong and you falling afoul of a capricious CBP agent are never zero, and are significantly higher than they were six months ago.

One just has to look at the stories that have been reported, even as outliers they give one reason to pause. For example the Canadian woman who was detained for twelve days for attempting to get a new visa, the German backpackers who were detained since they didn't have hotel booking for the entire duration of their five week stay, the French researcher who was denied entry because a search of his social media showed he was critical of the Trump administration, the well-known MMA fighter who was detained for two weeks while attempting to attend a MMA conference, and many more.

We can disagree on opinion, but facts are facts.

 

[baz962]

As already noted, the odds are that your trip will be uneventful. However the odds of something going wrong and you falling afoul of a capricious CBP agent are never zero, and are significantly higher than they were six months ago.

One just has to look at the stories that have been reported, even as outliers they give one reason to pause. For example the Canadian woman who was detained for twelve days for attempting to get a new visa, the German backpackers who were detained since they didn't have hotel booking for the entire duration of their five week stay, the French researcher who was denied entry because a search of his social media showed he was critical of the Trump administration, the well-known MMA fighter who was detained for two weeks while attempting to attend a MMA conference, and many more.

We can disagree on opinion, but facts are facts.

Of course. But the majority of people will be fine and I bet some of those people didn't have their affairs in order. In fact why wouldn't you have a place to stay. I have been going for nearly 40 years and have always been asked to provide an address for as long as I can remember. But the comments on here are insinuating everyone will have a problem. Facts are the majority of people that have their paperwork in order and everything will be fine.

 

[dgl]

I think Trumps big stumbling block is going to be the EU, they don't take crap from anyone and won't be pushed around by Trump, something I think he's starting to find out.

 

[edwin_m]

Of course. But the majority of people will be fine and I bet some of those people didn't have their affairs in order. In fact why wouldn't you have a place to stay. I have been going for nearly 40 years and have always been asked to provide an address for as long as I can remember. But the comments on here are insinuating everyone will have a problem. Facts are the majority of people that have their paperwork in order and everything will be fine.

"The majority" isn't very reassuring! I think if there was even a 1% chance of being deported or detained I'd seriously think about not travelling (not that I'm planning to go to the USA anytime soon anyway).

 

[najaB]

Of course. But the majority of people will be fine and I bet some of those people didn't have their affairs in order. In fact why wouldn't you have a place to stay. I have been going for nearly 40 years and have always been asked to provide an address for as long as I can remember. But the comments on here are insinuating everyone will have a problem. Facts are the majority of people that have their paperwork in order and everything will be fine.

Since you seem to be focusing on the German backpackers, they were exactly that - backpacking. They had booked lodging for the first couple of weeks and provided the address of the first place they were staying as required, but were denied entry, detained, and eventually deported because they hadn't yet decided their itinerary and so hadn't booked accommodation for the entire five weeks. Which is a completely normal thing to do.

But the comments on here are insinuating everyone will have a problem. Facts are the majority of people that have their paperwork in order and everything will be fine.

Yes, the majority of travellers won't have any issue, but an increasing number of people (including people with their paperwork in order) have found themselves falling foul of CPB in the current environment.

 

[JamesT]

Since you seem to be focusing on the German backpackers, they were exactly that - backpacking. They had booked lodging for the first couple of weeks and provided the address of the first place they were staying as required, but were denied entry, detained, and eventually deported because they hadn't yet decided their itinerary and so hadn't booked accommodation for the entire five weeks. Which is a completely normal thing to do.
Yes, the majority of travellers won't have any issue, but an increasing number of people (including people with their paperwork in order) have found themselves falling foul of CPB in the current environment.

Border officials refusing entry due to lacking evidence of having means to support yourself or accommodation for the length of your stay is also completely normal. It happens at the UK border, it happens in the EU at the Schengen border.

 

[gg1]

Since you seem to be focusing on the German backpackers, they were exactly that - backpacking. They had booked lodging for the first couple of weeks and provided the address of the first place they were staying as required, but were denied entry, detained, and eventually deported because they hadn't yet decided their itinerary and so hadn't booked accommodation for the entire five weeks. Which is a completely normal thing to do.

Is this this a new process Trump has introduced or is it a random check?

My wife and I travelled to California last year (in May so pre-Trump), we were only asked to provide details of the accommodation on our first night there.

 

[Gloster]

Although I have never wished to visit the USA, my observation of what is going on is that there may not have been an actual change to the rules, but there is a radical change in their application. Previously, people did get stopped at (semi-)random and sometimes extensively questioned, but detention (except of clear malefactors) was rare and usually sorted out fairly quickly. Now people are being checked in far larger numbers and the sort of vague point of concern to the Immigration Department that would previously have been sorted out by the questioning is now leading to lengthy detention in less than luxurious conditions.

Cynically, I might add that in the past it was probable brown people who were most likely to encounter unreasonable behaviour at the borders, but where are the headlines in that? Now that their lighter-coloured brothers are having problems, it hits the front page. Either way, unjust practices seems to be becoming the norm.

 

[Railwaycat]

Border officials refusing entry due to lacking evidence of having means to support yourself or accommodation for the length of your stay is also completely normal. It happens at the UK border, it happens in the EU at the Schengen border.

We've been to Ireland (car) 4 times in the last 2 years, nobodies checked our identity or asked where we were going, just "Hello Richard and Louise" at the checkpoint when we drove off at Dublin. This time, 2 weeks ago, we were asked for our proof of identity and where we going...on arrival back at Holyhead! What was that about, especially asking us where we were going.

 

[najaB]

Border officials refusing entry due to lacking evidence of having means to support yourself or accommodation for the length of your stay is also completely normal. It happens at the UK border, it happens in the EU at the Schengen border.

Indeed it does. However in this case they had adequate funds, they simply were backpacking and hadn't finalised their itinerary.

This is incredibly common. I have stayed in many hostels and one of the most common topics of conversation is "Any suggestions of where to go?" or" Where you thinking of going next?"

And they weren't simply denied entry, they were detained for more than a week in effectively prison camp conditions before being deported.

Although I have never wished to visit the USA, my observation of what is going on is that there may not have been an actual change to the rules, but there is a radical change in their application.

That's exactly the case. Existing rules are being applied strictly and with very little wiggle room, rather than new ones being introduced.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I think that's a very unfair comparison.

I understand that elephants are intelligent animals who live in highly evolved and co-operative social groups, and who are solicitous and caring of other animals in their group.

There is thus little similarity between them and Trump.

Good point, and elephants are rather more delicate with things as well...

 

[DerekC]

Good point, and elephants are rather more delicate with things as well...

And elephant society is matriarchal, which wouldn't suit Trump at all!

A rhinoceros seems a more apt comparison - at least in terms of being bad tempered and blundering about.

 

[Grimsby town]

Indeed it does. However in this case they had adequate funds, they simply were backpacking and hadn't finalised their itinerary.

This is incredibly common. I have stayed in many hostels and one of the most common topics of conversation is "Any suggestions of where to go?" or" Where you thinking of going next?"

I think the issue in this case was that they were travelling on an ESTA and part of the requirements is that if you're arriving by air, you are required to have an onward flight out of the US booked. They didn't have a flight as they wanted to remain flexible. Its absolutely an over reaction from the US authorities but there were rules broken.

I've travelled into the US by rail from Canada recently and had absolutely no issues. The most recent time I was barely questioned. I actually got a lot more rigorous questioning walking back into Canada at Niagra. If you're visiting the US, just be very clear on what the rules of entry are and have clear travel plans that you can show border patrols and you'll very likely be fine.

 

[Annetts key]

I've travelled into the US by rail from Canada recently and had absolutely no issues. The most recent time I was barely questioned. I actually got a lot more rigorous questioning walking back into Canada at Niagra. If you're visiting the US, just be very clear on what the rules of entry are and have clear travel plans that you can show border patrols and you'll very likely be fine.

At the moment, while that orange idiot is in power, why would you want to travel to the U.S.A.?

If it's for leisure there are plenty of other countries to visit.

I don't have a problem with most of the American people, but those that voted the orange idiot in to power need to fully understand and unfortunately that means taking our trade elsewhere.

I mean, look at the orange idiots latest move, threatening to impose 50% tariffs on the E.U. while negotiations are ongoing. How infantile is that when the E.U. countries are your allies?

The longer this orange idiot is in power, I'm more and more convinced that he thinks he is the new king of America.

US President Donald Trump has agreed to extend a deadline to negotiate tariffs with the European Union until 9 July.

It comes after President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she had a "good call" with Trump on Sunday.

Last month, Trump announced a 20% tariff on most EU goods, but later halved it to 10% until 8 July to allow time for negotiations. On Friday, Trump expressed frustration with the pace of negotiations with the EU and threatened to impose 50% tariffs.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said Von der Leyen told him "we will rapidly get together and see if we can work something out", posting later on Truth Social that it was his "privilege to extend the deadline".

Von der Leyen earlier said she was ready to move "swiftly" to agree a trade deal with the US, but that the bloc needed until 9 July to agree a "good deal".

In remarks to reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon hours before talks with the bloc, Trump said he planned to raise tariffs on all goods sent to the US from the EU to 50% by 1 June, citing impatience at negotiations.

Later on Friday, the EU's trade chief Maroš Šefčovič reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to securing a fair deal.

Following a call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, he said: "The EU's fully engaged, committed to securing a deal that works for both."

He continued: "EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats. We stand ready to defend our interests."

• Faisal Islam: Trump's tariff plans could spark global economic shock
• See the Trump tariffs list by country

Trump has long criticised what he views as an unfair trade relationship with the EU, despite the bloc being one of Washington's largest trading partners. Last year, the EU exported more than $600bn (€528bn; £443bn) in goods to the US while importing $370bn worth, according to US government data.

The president has specifically raised concerns on trade in cars and agricultural goods. Although some tariffs were paused earlier this year to allow for negotiations, a 25% levy on EU steel and aluminium remains in place.

European leaders continue to warn against escalation. France and Germany have called for a diplomatic solution, stressing that tariffs would harm both economies.

The EU has threatened - and paused - its own measures against the US.

It said it would introduce a 25% tariff on €18bn ($20bn; £15bn) worth of US goods coming into Europe but this was put on hold.

The bloc is also currently consulting on additional measures against US imports into the US valued at €95bn.

BBC News: Trump agrees to extend EU trade talks after 50% tariff threat