Would you visit USA in the current climate?

I used to love the USA, I've spent a year of my life there, waiting tables in my summers at college.

I used to have a green card too, which I gave up.

I'd be slow to go back to the US now tbh, it's not the country it was imho. The people are too partial to violence, the yanks are obnoxious, their politics is divisive, they are an angry & divided people now, who tbh aren't a lot of fun to be around these times...

I'll go back to the US someday, but there are so many better countries to go to imho, I'd just prefer to spend my tourist $ elsewhere for now...

a common refrain from us tourists to Ireland is we're all friendly but some posters here swear it's a dystopian dictatorship.

I would agree though if a US driving holiday is an itch that needs a scratch now is probably good before prices there erase the exchange rate advantage.

You have to file an annual tax return to retain it apparently. I hadn't done this for years, as I lived & worked in Ireland, so when I presented it at immigration security in Dublin Airport many years later on my to the US for a short trip, I was given a stark choice , either attend a court hearing in the US in several weeks to try to explain why i hadn't submitted my tax returns for several years, or relinquish my green card on the spot. I chose the latter.

Yes - just back from Boston for 2 nights and was brilliant. Not sure what a law abiding Irish person would have to fear…

I knew that US citizens abroad had to do this, but I didn't realise they did it to green card holders.

I found city people to be lovely.

My main reason for not going would be the fear that as a foreigner I could be arrested and deported for not dotting an I on a form or having posted something anti trump online. The current US administration has made it clear that they don't care where you're from or why you're in the US, if they don't like you, you're out.

My sister was thinking of going to Orlando with the kids. But she's decided to wait till post Trump. When you're spending that much money and you're travelling with 3 kids, you don't want to take any risks, even if they're really small.

Plus there's plenty of countries who's government aren't trying to start trade wars with us.

Seems to be a post lockdown thing.

Normally rational people now with a permanent scar of fear due to over use of social media. We've slepwalked into it.

You can see it on this thread. Law abiding normal people "afraid" to go to America for fear of being deported or detained or shot or caught up in some political rally or……. something. Quite sad to see its penetrated this deep into the Irish psyche.

I mean, go to the Costa Del Sol instead and hang out with criminals and try dodge pissed up Brits smacking each other about. Much more fun. Bring the kids.

Yep, about 22% of all the people who live there. Madness.

But again, people had no problem popping over to the UK when they had a fully fledged war criminal in charge. Or the US under Bush doing the same thing. Actually killing people. Hundreds of thousands of people. No problem then was there?!

Its really just social media and noise thats influencing people. Its fairly pathetic tbh. The people who are saying they wouldnt want to "support" Trump by giving tourist money to him and the like. The irony being these social media companies are American and pay tax (some tax anyway) that ends up in the US treasury.

Even using Boards.ie ensures money ends up in the US treasury.

I think Trump is a social media phenomenon, but the fact remains rapey voters are off-putting.