I mean, Trump does all kinds of crazy things, but I saw his list of countries whose citizens he wants to ban from the US, and the most baffling of all for me was Bhutan. While I do agree that Bhutan's massive visa costs for US citizens is rather extortionist, I can't imagine that any of their citizens presents a serious threat. I suspect he's pissed off at Dominica, St. Christopher/Nevis, and St. Lucia over their policy of selling their passports to any thug who'll pay them. But Bhutan?

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-travel-ban-countries-list-b2715762.html

"...The draft list was separated into three sections — red, orange, and yellow — to denote the level of restriction, according to the outlet. The “red” list includes 11 countries whose citizens would be entirely forbidden from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Ten countries whose citizens will be limited from entering but not entirely banned, meaning they are required to have specific visas, were on the “orange” list. People of Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan will have to sit for in-person interviews to obtain a visa, the outlet reported.

The “yellow” list contains 22 countries, mostly African nations, that the Trump administration is giving 60 days to address its concerns over alleged “deficiencies.” If these nations don’t comply, they risk being placed on the red or orange lists, the Times reported. This list includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe...". 

It also seems rather nutty to ban Laotian citizens. Shouldn't we be encouraging more trade with Laos as a buffer to the Chinese?

As of March 15, 2025, President Trump has not officially banned any new countries from entering the USA. However, his administration is currently considering implementing a new travel ban that could affect citizens from up to 43 countries124.

The proposed travel ban is divided into three tiers:

1. Red List (Complete Ban):
   This list includes 11 countries whose citizens would face an outright prohibition on entering the United States. These countries are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen47.

2. Orange List (Partial Restrictions):
   This list comprises 10 countries whose citizens would face significant visa restrictions, including mandatory in-person interviews for short-term non-immigrant visas. The countries on this list include Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan47.

3. Yellow List (Potential Restrictions):
   This list includes 22 countries that would have 60 days to address security concerns raised by the U.S. government. If they fail to comply, they risk being moved to the orange or red lists47.

The reasons cited for these potential restrictions include:

1. Inadequate vetting and screening information provided by these countries4.

2. Potential national security risks5.

3. Failure to provide the U.S. with information about incoming travelers7.

4. Insufficient security measures for passport issuance7.

5. Commercialization of citizenship for individuals from banned nations7.

It's important to note that this list is still in draft form and has not yet received final approval from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio15. The proposal stems from a January 20 executive order by President Trump, which gave the State Department 60 days to implement the ban3.

This initiative echoes President Trump's earlier travel ban during his first term, which targeted travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries and was eventually upheld by the Supreme Court in 20181.

Citations:

1. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-weighs-travel-ban-dozens-countries-memo-says-2025-03-15/
2. https://time.com/7268645/trump-travel-ban-2025-reports-countries-at-risk/
3. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/full-list-of-countries-considered-for-trumps-potential-new-travel-ban/articleshow/119037147.cms
4. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-travel-ban-countries-list-b2715762.html
5. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/15/trump-administration-mulls-new-travel-ban-that-could-hit-dozens-of-nations
6. https://www.euronews.com/2025/03/15/us-considering-travel-ban-on-11-countries-new-york-times-reports
7. https://www.newsweek.com/trump-travel-ban-list-2045321
8. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/politics/trump-travel-ban.html
9. https://www.visalawyerblog.com/trump-travel-ban-5-0-is-coming/

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Answer from Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what-countries-have-president-7sWLvvI6QESPbqdJqF6c.g?utm_source=copy_output

On 3/15/2025 at 6:54 PM, unicorn said:

I mean, Trump does all kinds of crazy things, but I saw his list of countries whose citizens he wants to ban from the US, and the most baffling of all for me was Bhutan. While I do agree that Bhutan's massive visa costs for US citizens is rather extortionist, I can't imagine that any of their citizens presents a serious threat. I suspect he's pissed off at Dominica, St. Christopher/Nevis, and St. Lucia over their policy of selling their passports to any thug who'll pay them. But Bhutan?

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-travel-ban-countries-list-b2715762.html

"...The draft list was separated into three sections — red, orange, and yellow — to denote the level of restriction, according to the outlet. The “red” list includes 11 countries whose citizens would be entirely forbidden from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Ten countries whose citizens will be limited from entering but not entirely banned, meaning they are required to have specific visas, were on the “orange” list. People of Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan will have to sit for in-person interviews to obtain a visa, the outlet reported.

The “yellow” list contains 22 countries, mostly African nations, that the Trump administration is giving 60 days to address its concerns over alleged “deficiencies.” If these nations don’t comply, they risk being placed on the red or orange lists, the Times reported. This list includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe...". 

It also seems rather nutty to ban Laotian citizens. Shouldn't we be encouraging more trade with Laos as a buffer to the Chinese?

Trump is afraid of every foreign leader. He is weak.  Very weak.