President Donald Trump on Wednesday shrugged off criticism that he's harming tourism after the administration announced a new rule that tourists would be required to give their social media history.
A reporter on Wednesday asked Trump, following a roundtable discussion at the White House, if he was concerned about a decline in tourism next year following the announcement of the new policy. Under the new rule, international travelers would have to provide their social media history over the last five years.
"No, we're doing so well. We just want people to come over here and safe," Trump said. "We want safety, we want security, we want to make sure we're not letting the wrong people come into our country. We're getting rid of a lot of bad ones from jail, from mental institutions, drug dealers, we're getting a lot of bad people. "
Trump continued to discuss how he has improved the safety in Washington, D.C., despite the ambush in the nation's capital that left one National Guard member dead and another critically wounded. Trump also said that the surviving Guard member apparently got out of bed and is expected to recover.
The new policy, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice published Tuesday, would also require visitors to share any phone numbers used, email addresses, in addition to face, fingerprint, DNA and iris biometrics, according to The Guardian. This would also extend to requests for the names, birthdates, birthplaces and addresses of family members, including children.
The social media mandate would apply to 42 countries whose citizens are currently permitted to enter the US without a visa.
Q: Are you concerned that if the proposal to review 5 years of social media to get a tourist visa is implemented that there will be a decline in tourism?
TRUMP: No. We're doing so well. We want to make sure we're not letting the wrong people into our country. pic.twitter.com/Bh52ZRlHmM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 10, 2025
