Donald Trump says Taylor Swift is no longer ‘hot,' calls Bruce Springsteen an ‘obnoxious jerk,' in social media rant
U.S. President Donald Trump put his executive duties aside on Friday to play the role of music critic, taking shots at two of the biggest stars in pop and rock.
'Has anyone noticed that, since I said 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,' she's no longer 'HOT?'' Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday morning.
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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
What you need to know after Trump banned citizens of 12 countries from entering the U.S.
An Afghan person passes in front of an air travel agency in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) DAKAR, Senegal -- U.S. President Donald Trump has banned citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricted access for those from seven others, citing national security concerns in resurrecting and expanding a hallmark policy of his first term that will mostly affect people from Africa and the Middle East. The ban announced Wednesday applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The heightened restrictions apply to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and don't hold a valid visa. The policy takes effect Monday at 12:01 a.m. and does not have an end date. Here's what to know about the new rules: How Trump justified the ban Since returning to the White House, Trump has launched an unprecedented campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him. The travel ban stems from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on 'hostile attitudes' toward the U.S. The aim is to 'protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes,' the administration said. In a video posted on social media, Trump tied the new ban to a terrorist attack Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The man charged in the attack is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. U.S. officials say he overstayed a tourist visa. Who is exempt from the ban Green card holders Dual citizens, including U.S. citizens who also have citizenship of one of the banned countries Some athletes: athletes and their coaches travelling to the U.S. for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting event as determined by the U.S. secretary of state Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or its allies in Afghanistan and are holders of Afghan special immigrant visas Iranians belonging to an ethnic or religious minority who are fleeing prosecution Certain foreign national employees of the U.S. government who have served abroad for at least 15 years, and their spouses and children People who were granted asylum or admitted to the U.S. as refugees before the ban took effect People with U.S. family members who apply for visas in connection to their spouses, children or parents Diplomats and foreign government officials on official visits Those travelling to UN headquarters in New York solely on official UN business Representatives of international organizations and NATO on official visits in the U.S. Children adopted by U.S. citizens. Which countries are affected Trump said nationals of countries included in the ban pose 'terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also said some of these countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their citizens. His findings rely extensively on an annual Homeland Security report about tourists, businesspeople and students who overstay U.S. visas and arrive by air or sea, singling out countries with high percentages of nationals who remain after their visas expired. 'We don't want them,' Trump said. The inclusion of Afghanistan angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban makes exceptions for Afghans on special immigrant visas, who were generally the people who worked most closely with the U.S. government during the two-decade war there. The list can be changed, the administration said in a document, if authorities in the designated countries make 'material improvements' to their own rules and procedures. New countries can be added 'as threats emerge around the world.' Reactions to Trump's order Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro's government condemned the travel ban, characterizing it in a statement as a 'stigmatization and criminalization campaign' against Venezuelans, who have been targeted by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Chad President Mahamat Deby Itno said his country would suspend visas for U.S. citizens in response to the ban. Aid and refugee resettlement groups also denounced it. 'This policy is not about national security -- it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, called the order 'unnecessary, overbroad and ideologically motivated.' And the National Immigration Law Center said it was 'outraged' and that the ban is 'laced with unsubstantiated legal justifications.' 'The impact of this new ban will be deeply racialized, as it will effectively bar hundreds of millions of Black and Brown people from entering the United States,' the group said in a statement. But reactions to the ban ran the gamut from anger to guarded relief and support. In Haiti, radio stations received a flurry of calls Thursday from angry listeners, including many who said they were Haitians living in the U.S. and who accused Trump of being racist, noting that the people of many of the targeted countries are Black. In Miami, restaurant owner Wilkinson Sejour said most of his employees and customers are from Haiti and that the ban will hurt his business in a 'domino effect.' He suggested that Haiti was targeted because most Haitians vote Democrat. Jaylani Hussein, who heads CAIR's Minnesota chapter, said his compatriots in the Twin Cities' large Somali American community had been expecting Trump's order, but didn't know the details until its release. 'It's a lot better than maybe some of the worst fears of what we initially thought could come out. But it significantly impacts the Somali community, there's no way around it,' he said. William Lopez, a 75-year-old property investor who arrived from Cuba in 1967, supports the travel ban. 'These are people that come but don't want to work, they support the Cuban government, they support communism,' Lopez said at a restaurant near Little Havana in Miami. 'What the Trump administration is doing is perfectly good.' How the ban is different from 2017 Early in Trump's first term, he issued an executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travelers from those nations were either barred from getting on flights to the U.S. or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty, as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family. The order, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban' or the 'travel ban,' was retooled amid legal challenges until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. The ban affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. ------ By Monika Pronczuk Associated Press reporters Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Trump to German chancellor: D-Day 'not a pleasant day for you'
Trump to German chancellor: D-Day 'not a pleasant day for you' U.S. President Donald Trump told the German chancellor D-Day was 'not a pleasant day for you' as they spoke about ending Russia's war on Ukraine.
Vancouver Sun
4 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Governments scramble to understand Trump's latest travel ban before it takes effect Monday
WASHINGTON — Governments of 12 countries whose citizens will be banned from visiting the United States beginning next week scrambled on Thursday to understand President Donald Trump's latest move to resurrect a hallmark policy of his first term. The ban takes effect Monday at 12:01 a.m., a cushion that may avoid the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. Trump, who signaled plans for a new ban upon taking office again in January, appears to be on firmer ground this time after the Supreme Court sided with him. Some of the 12 countries also appeared on the list of banned countries in the Republican president's first term. The new ban targets Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. There will also be heightened restrictions on visitors from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. North Korea and Syria, which were on the banned list in the first Trump administration, were spared this time. Trump tied the new ban to Sunday's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The suspect in the attack is from Egypt, which is not on Trump's restricted list. The Department of Homeland Security says he overstayed a tourist visa. The travel ban results from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence to compile a report on 'hostile attitudes' toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk. Trump said some countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. His findings rely extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of visa overstays of tourists, business visitors and students who arrive by air and sea, singling out countries with high percentages of those remaining after their visas expired. Capturing overstay rates has riddled experts for decades, but the government has made a limited attempt annually since 2016. Trump's proclamation cites overstay rates for eight of the 12 banned countries. While Trump's list captures many of the most egregious offenders, it omits others. Djibouti, for example, had a 23..9% overstay rate among business visitors and tourists in the 12-month period through September 2023, higher than seven countries on the banned list and six countries on the restricted list. The findings are 'based on sketchy data and a misguided concept of collective punishment,' said Doug Rand, a former Biden administration official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Venezuela's interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, said being in the United States is a 'great risk.' The decision is a significant blow to Venezuelans, who were already limited in their U.S. travel plans since both governments broke diplomatic relations in 2019. The announcement stunned the family of Venezuelan Maria Aldana, who has long worked multiple jobs in Caracas to support her brother's dream to study engineering in the U.S. The family has spent more than $6,000 to finance his goals. Aldana, 24, said her distraught brother, who enrolled at a Southern California university two years ago, called the family crying. 'We did it all legally,' Aldana said. The African Union Commission, meanwhile, appealed to the United States to reconsider 'in a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Africa.' International aid groups and refugee resettlement organizations took a harsher tone: 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America. A travel agent in Somalia said the policy threatens the travel and service industry. 'The United States is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the world, and for years it has been one of our most active and reliable destinations,' said Bashir Farah Ali, manager of Kofi Express Travel Services. 'Every month I facilitated travel for at least 10 clients, mostly government officials attending conferences, diplomatic meetings, or U.N. events, as well as ordinary citizens traveling to reunite with their families after years of separation.' The news came as a shock to many in Iran despite the decades of enmity between the two countries. Reports suggest thousands of university students each year travel to America to study, and others have extended families living in America, some of whom fled after the initial 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the shah. 'My elder daughter got a bachelor's degree from a top Iranian university and planned to continue in the U.S., but now she is badly distressed,' Nasrin Lajvardi said. While tensions also remain high as negotiations over Iran's nuclear program have yet to reach any agreement, Tehran resident Mehri Soltani offered rare support for Trump's decision. 'Those who have family members in the U.S., it's their right to go, but a bunch of bad people and terrorists and murderers want to go there as well,' he said. Outside the former U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, a Taliban guard expressed his disappointment. 'America has no right to do this and implement this ban,' Ilias Kakal said. 'America has to cancel it.' In Afghanistan's capital, travel agents pointed out the ban would have little practical effect as Afghan passport holders had been facing problems in getting U.S. visas anyway for years. Since the Taliban took over the country in 2021, only Afghans with foreign passports or green cards were able to travel to the United States with any ease, they said, while even those applying for special visas due to their work with U.S. forces in Afghanistan in previous years were facing problems. During his first term, Trump issued an executive order banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries. It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. The order, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban' or the 'travel ban,' was retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House. ___ Amiri reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Regina Garcia Cano, Rebecca Santana, Jon Gambrell, Ellen Knickmeyer, Omar Farouk, Nasser Karimi, Elliot Spagat, Elena Becatoros and Danica Coto contributed to this report. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
