Trump Bans 43 Countries From Travel Mostly In Africa & He May Want To Kill Second Citizenships
In the last 2 months, the Trump administration’s feud with African nations has intensified, with the ambassador of South Africa calling the Trump administration a 'supremacist' regime, but another policy is aiming to hit Africa back.
Most news headlines read something like this.
“The White House is considering a major expansion of travel restrictions, one that could affect millions across multiple continents, and Africa could be the hardest hit.”
A policy that raises enormous concerns about fairness and global relations.
But as it turns out this is more than just speculation.
“A new travel ban by the United States could soon take effect, one that would impact millions worldwide.”
The Trump Travel Ban 2.0 is coming
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-travel-ban-2-0-132743754.html
The Trump administration is considering travel bans and travel restrictions, for 43 countries 22 of which are African nations. Strangely enough, South Africa is not Included. Even though he has expressed his distain with the country’s treatment of the white minority population. Could it be that his best friend Elon Musk is also from South Africa?
Trump’s New Travel Ban Targets 41 Nations THE NEW INDIAN — trumps new travel ban targets 41 nations
https://www.newindian.in/trumps-new-travel-ban-targets-41-nations/
The new travel ban separates countries into three color coded categories, each with different levels of restrictions.
In the red category has countries that you might expect you might expect to be on his travel ban list. Like Iran and Afghanistan. Yeah, we know he has some beef with those countries. Somalia and Yemen have been causing supply chain problems by attacking merchant ships and this could be a more peaceful negotiating tool in the right hands. Fingers crossed but I am not holding my breath on this.
Except there are a few that don’t make sense if you look closely enough. Countries like Syria. Why is Syria on the travel ban list? What did Syria do to the US to deserve a travel ban? It is to show support for Israel or something?
And here is the real headscratcher. Bhutan. Why ban Bhutanese travellers? First, of they are a fairly small and fairly poor country it’s not that many countries that they have an economic impact anyway. But they are some of the most peaceful people on earth. It ranks 21st in the 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI). For comparison. In the 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI), the United States is ranked 132nd out of 163 countries, indicating a relatively low level of peacefulness. So why ban Bhutan?
Why Bhutan May Make Trump’s Travel Ban List
https://skift.com/2025/03/17/why-bhutan-may-make-trumps-travel-ban-list/
Let’s keep going…
In the orange group, we have countries whose people will not only face restrictions on all types of immigration but also on tourist and student visas. Although there are a few exceptions. Here too you have countries you might expect. Like Russia and Haiti, but again there are countries that don’t make sense.
Why is Laos on the list? Is it because they are a communist country? Then why isn’t China on that list too?
Or is it because this is a country where you can travel in as an average American citizen and live as a tourist for as little as $1,000 per month? Looked it up. You could get a cheap hotel for $5 per day in those countries. If you are willing to pay $50 per day you can live like a King there. Hold on, Belarus is in a similar boat. The average monthly salary there is about $700 dollars. These are prime vacation spots for American people who don’t have the fortune to spend but they want to travel to Europe. Why would you stop them from travelling to the US?
Belarus is located just above Ukraine on the map and shares a border with Russia. Does that have something to do with this? Does Trump know something we don’t know?
14 most beautiful places in Belarus
https://www.mustseespots.com/belarus/
The last one is the yellow category. Travelers from countries have 60 days to meet U.S. security requirements or face a full visa ban. This reminds me of the travel bans in Trump’s first term. Were he faced legal challenges by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
But even here there are countries that don’t fit. Countries that don’t make much sense. Countries like Vanuatu, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis.
They all seem to have a thing in common.
A History of Citizenship by Investment
https://www.imidaily.com/editors-picks/infographic-a-history-of-citizenship-by-investment/
Vanuatu for example has a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, often referred to as a “golden passport,” for $130,000, and it offers visa-free travel to 113 countries.
And it is not the only one.
Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program would set you back $50,000 worth of contributions to the Economic Diversification Fund (EDF). It is one of the cheapest citizenship-by-investment programs in the world as it comes to a price tag.
See where this is going?
St. Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program allows individuals to gain citizenship by contributing to the country’s economy through investment, with options including donations to the National Economic Fund, real estate investments, or investments in government bonds.
St. Kitts and Nevis have a citizenship through an investment program too. You can either contribute a non-refundable donation of at least $250,000 to the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) or you invest in approved real estate projects. Your investment must be bigger than $325,000. In other words, they will pay you to become their citizen.
And finally, Antigua and Barbuda has a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program that allows foreign investors to obtain citizenship and a Caribbean passport in exchange for a significant economic contribution, with options including a donation to the National Development Fund or investing in real estate or businesses.
Do you see the full picture now?
In other words, most of those places end up paying you money in exchange for you making an investment in their countries. In most cases, you will end up making a profit of those investments. It is not just a fee you pay in exchange for Citizenship.
Unlike some other programs, I can think of…
Programs that might feel threatened by variety and options.
The New US Gold Card Visa — Worth $5M? 🇺🇸💰 Donald Trump has announced a $5 million “Gold Card” visa
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fecho_lenss%2Fp%2FDGiBb5VJOCn%2F&psig=AOvVaw22ddHqcrYx-z0OC0Di1veW&ust=1742467181727000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBcQjhxqFwoTCOj2ip36lYwDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAU
If you can’t recall let me refresh your memory. Recently Trump was floating around a $5 million ‘gold card’ as a fast route to US citizenship. Essentially giving US citizenship to anyone who has plenty of money to burn.
In other words, countries that offer programs like the CBI programs that are considerably cheaper and often in governments that offer better taxation schemes are his direct competitors. Not to mention that these countries countries are often hidden tropical paradise. Would you ever think that a country you have never heard of looks like Antigua and Barbuda looks like this?
Antigua and Barbuda
https://www.northamericaoutlookmag.com/local-government/antigua-and-barbuda-investment-authority-spotlight
On his first day back in the office, Trump signed an executive order to an extra level of scrutiny in the security checking for foreign travellers. This executing order instructs cabinet members to submit, by March 21st, a list of countries facing partial or full travel suspensions.
Now if you remember Trump’s presidential campaign you might recall that he vowed to end birthright citizenship. If Trump succeeded in that ambition, it would be a complete divergence from how citizenship by birthright was treated in the US for the last few hundred years. Because babies born in the U.S. to non-citizen parents wouldn’t get passports, Social Security numbers, or access to citizen-only benefits. They will be treated as temporary residents or illegal immigrants.
This might be surprising but this would be much closer to what other countries are doing around the world. Where only a citizen of the country can give birth to another citizen of that country. And that can change the US taxation code as well.
If you didn’t know US citizens are the only citizens in the world that have to pay taxes to the IRS globally. It doesn’t matter that you don’t live in the US anymore. It doesn’t matter that you already paid your taxes in your country of residence. You still have to pay taxes to the IRS.
And if you combine that with the latest alterations of the US citizen exiting protocols for people who want to drop their US citizenship the story becomes more clear.
trump travel ban: Trump mulls travel ban on 43 countries
https://m.economictimes.com/news/trump-mulls-travel-ban-on-43-countries-pakistan-myanmar-and-even-bhutan-on-list/videoshow/119044618.cms
For those who don’t know this. Let me refresh your memory. If you are an American there is a fee you have to pay to renounce the U.S. citizenship. Currently, that fee is a non-refundable $2,350, paid to the U.S. Department of State for administrative processing, and this fee is not waivable or refundable. That is even if the request for a Certificate of Loss of Nationality is denied. You see you can try to drop your citizenship and they can refuse you. Keep that in mind.
On top of that, there is an Exit tax that those with US citizenship or a long-term Green Card holder have to pay. But that only applies to people who make over a certain amount of money. For example, if you have a net worth of over $2 million dollars or if you have business gains of over $890,000 for 2025 you have to a 20% tax to exit.
In other words, it seems to me Trump aims to attract the wealthy from all over the world and then trap them in the US. But if at some point the USA attempts to make it so that you are not allowed to have more than your own citizenship. Not only the people who live in the country but also the people who live abroad and just happen to be born in the USA will have to make a very difficult choice.
Can you imagine living in Japan and then the USA telling you that you either drop your citizenship or you have to return to the USA? But when you go to drop your citizenship your request is denied?