Turn around, Sunshine
Now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, his list of countries to visit has gotten much shorter.
Trump was found guilty on Thursday of 34 counts of falsifying records in an effort to keep adult film star Stormy Daniels quiet about an affair that occurred in the 2000s. That means certain freedoms Mr Trump once enjoyed may be out of his reach — and could have a serious effect on his ability to carry out his presidential duties, including travelling to foreign countries.
Nearly 40 nations – including Canada and the UK – have strict policies when it comes to allowing individuals with criminal records across their borders, and barring a special accommodation, Trump would be held to those same standards.
It’s not quite as gratifying as it sounds, because the Independent goes on to clarify that the bar to felons is mostly optional. The nearly 40 nations can exclude him as a felon, but most of them don’t have to. It would be better if they had to.
If Trump becomes president, he’s going to be able to go to any country that wants to host him (and even some that might prefer not to — if there’s a G-7 or NATO summit or whatever, excluding the U.S. president risks ending the whole thing). If he doesn’t, I doubt it matters, as I don’t think Trump’s the world traveler type anyway — you’re not gong to see him giving speeches at Davos or whatever.
This is why I’m disappointed. I want it to be impossible for him to go (if elected – I don’t care about it if he’s not).
Mandating that those 40-odd nations must exclude those whom another nation (or just the US?) convicts as a felon would give judiciaries an awful lot of power.