To think visiting the US is justifiable in these circumstances?

[AnnaQuayInTheUk]

Lots of my friends are, like me, very anti Trump and all he stands for. Some of us were having a discussion the other evening about boycotting US products and not visiting the US whilst Trump is in power.

We are planning a visit to the US later this year. It's not yet booked and lots of my friends were trying to persuade me not to go.

However, they are all aware that the reason we are going is to see my Father in Law. He is 93 and, whilst currently in good health, that might not be the case for much longer. We haven't seen him for 3 years. He is almost totally deaf so DH can't have conversations with him over the phone. He doesn't use Facetime or any video calling services so we can't actually see him.

DH is an only child and really wants to see his dad. One of my good friends told me that she thought that, even given the circumstances, we should stand on our principles and not go. Another friend was more sympathetic initially but then said she thought it was hypocritical to criticise Trump and then visit America.

AIBU to think that it's justifiable to go to the USA given the reason?

I meant people from Europe to be honest.

I honestly think a lot of people have nothing else to worry about in life. It’s madness.

As others have said @AnnaQuayInTheUk make sure your socials and phones are clear of anti Trump etc content or you could be refused entry.

If any of them have an I phone I hope they are going to get rid of it as it was probably made in China.

@pourmeawine I agree, I do have family in America and will visit them next year. If demand for seats falls then maybe the fares will drop. Every cloud.

Of course you can. You can make an exception for the trip and maintain a boycott at all other times. A boycott is an active choice. Why are you quilting someone for visiting an elderly man?

What “innocent people” have been detained? Do you mean the British woman who was working illegally?

Both my and my DH's parents are now in their early 80s and still live in America. Every moment we're able to spend with them is precious. We lost a few years during COVID travel restrictions so there's no way I'm missing my annual visit, no matter who is running the show.

Absolutely. The fact that her friends would apparently not visit their dying father to make a stupid political point that no one will notice is extraordinary

A simple google would help you..
Right now it’s about 5% but most don’t travel at this time of the year - but this amounts to 64 billion so not insignificant

www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/16/international-tourism-travel-trump-canada/

Also for those questioning the easy border crossings be aware…

abcnews.go.com/amp/Travel/wireStory/detentions-european-tourists-us-borders-spark-fears-traveling-120011457

It's one thing to refuse to visit the US as a expression of opposition to Trump (I'm of the same mind myself), quite another to let him deprive your family of meeting up with an elderly relative. Doesn't sound like you'll be spending wildly and contributing much to their economy, so that's a plus.

Your friends are being unreasonable.

Thanks for the stats but that still doesn’t refer to people who wouldn’t have gone anyway. Which was my point. The people who aren’t going (which the stats are showing) are people who would have gone otherwise, or they may not be going for many, many, many other reasons. But no stats that you find on google will show how many of the people vocally exclaiming that they’re not going to the States WOULD have actually booked a trip in different circumstances.

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/03/19/germany-tightens-travel-advice-to-us-after-three-citizens-detained

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Travel/wireStory/detentions-european-tourists-us-borders-spark-fears-traveling-120011457

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-academic-denied-entry-united-states-donald-trump-personal-opinion-messages/

https://apnews.com/article/border-tourists-german-canadian-detention-immigration-408cd27338e8065268fabc835f8b0c34

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80y3yx1jdyo.amp

So yeah make sure your ESTA is in order and do the right thing or it can go very wrong for you.

I know many many many people who have had torrid times crossing the border when everything is in check (hours of being questioned etc).

Please don’t be ignorant. The US isn’t the same place it used to be.

They'd almost certainly visit the dying father if it was themselves, Userlosername, but it isn't so they're quite safe dumping their virtue signalling on someone else

Had to smile at the idea of getting rid of iphones if they're made under another filthy regime though ... as if

How can your friends possibly think they hold the moral high ground when they would deny a very elderly man the chance to see his son for perhaps the last time?

Virtue signalling bullshit.

I wouldn't holiday in US right now but yes, I would go to US and visit family.

No one in my social circle would give a crap

I won’t be holidaying there while the tangerine felon is in office, but I would visit in your circumstances. At 93 your FIL can’t afford to wait 4 years to see his son.

I wonder whether companies will start giving travellers to the US burner phones like they do for China after recent events. We are living in very strange times.

I didn’t know this was even a thing 🤣 I’m going to Cape Cod this summer to stay with one of my oldest friends who lives there.

I’ve never given a fuck about what anyone else thinks of me so it wouldn’t cross my mind to consider what anyone else thinks of my holiday choices.

That’s the sort of response a MAGA would make - I’m not visiting my daughter because she’s gay and so on.

we have family in the US and I despise Trump and his accolades. However if the only way we can see them is us going there then we’re going.

You don’t have to justify this to them. It’s your DH mum and dad FFS

You don't have to justify going anywhere to your swivel eyed finger pointing "friends".

We're going this year to see family. Planned and booked months ago. Any judgement on this would be water off a duck's back to me. We want to see family and they want to see us. Zero guilt. I am a little nervous of the stories of perfectly innocent people being detained, but in reality I think we will just see loved ones and hang out together which we've longed to do for a very long time.

They'll soon get bored and move on to the next 'omg you can't do that' thing

Sounds to me like you need new friends. They sound both stupid and unempathetic.

In your circumstances I'd go OP without a doubt.

We're going to Canada in the summer and had planned to cross into the US for a few days but we've changed our plans and will be spending the full time in Canada instead.

We were also planning on going to Florida next summer as we do fairly often but have decided not to go, personal choice but I really don't want to, instead we'll go back to the Caribbean

Exactly, BlondiePortz, and while folk are absolutely entitled to make their own choices it's this foisting of them onto others which annoys me

Fortunately they're quite easily coped with by just not engaging; IME the more dogmatic ones rarely have anything balanced to say and are best left to squeak and gibber on Twitter, where they can get the oxygen they seem to crave