Donald Trump may face travel restrictions with his newfound felon status, potentially complicating his presidency if he were to win another term in office.
Thirty-eight nations, counting the United States, bar felons from entry, according to World Population Review. Those bans stand regardless of whether someone is allowed to retain their passport after conviction.
Countries that turn felons away include several of the United States’ strongest allies, like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada — the final of which will host the G7 summit of world leaders in 2025. The list also includes a number of nations at the center of pressing foreign policy issues, such as China, Israel and Mexico.
International governments can, and in some cases would, choose to make an exception for Trump if he requested special permission as president to make a visit.
George W. Bush, who was arrested for drunk driving in the 1970s, ran into issues with Canadian travel restrictions during his presidency while planning an official state visit and, after applying for a special waiver, he was ultimately allowed to enter.
In Bush’s case, which still proved tedious, the circumstances were a bit different: the crime happened decades earlier, was only categorized as a misdemeanor and was never tried in a court of law (Bush admitted to driving under the influence upon arrest and got off with a fine and temporary license suspension). It’s hard to say whether Trump’s new 34 felony convictions would be dealt with in a similar manner.
Countries That Deny Entry to Felons
- Argentina
- Australia
- Brazil
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Japan
- Kenya
- Macau
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Peru
- Philippines
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
If Trump were elected to another term in the White House and chose to apply for special travel waivers, the irony would not go unnoticed.
The former president has often characterized foreigners as “criminals,” and has campaigned on a promise to tighten U.S. travel restrictions, which would include shutting down the border and instating travel bans on people of certain nationalities and ideologies.