How Trump tarnished the reputation of US passport
Trump’s policies since becoming president have led to a five-place drop in the US passport rankings.
The American passport has fallen into disrepute. This is the first time the US has not been among the top ten in the global passport rankings. Trump’s policies have a big part in this. The US passport, once considered the world’s most powerful passport, has fallen to 12th place in the Henley Passport Index for the first time. In 2024, the USA was ranked 7th. However, the policies he has implemented since he became president have caused him to fall five places in the American passport rankings.
When Trump became president for the second time, he promoted his borrowed idea, the slogan “Make America Great Again.” But in his quest to make America great, Trump nearly destroyed America. This means that Trump has failed to perfect the American passport; reduced its power to a mediocre level. This decline is a result of changes in global diplomacy and Trump’s visa policies that reduce the power of the American passport. Who determines these rankings and what is the basis for determining the rankings?
Henley Passport Index 2025
The Henley Passport Index is one of the most recognized and reliable passport ranking indexes in the world. It ranked passports over the last 20 years, based on data from the International Air Transport Association. A country’s passport is ranked by the number of visa-free travel destinations. This means how many countries are visa-free for US passport holders. This includes countries where visas can be obtained on arrival. A country’s strong diplomatic relations with other countries and domestic political stability also contribute to the strength of the passport. During the presidency of Joe Biden, who was described as old, sick and weak, the US passport was in the top 10.
Trump administration policies
The Trump administration has tightened visa waiting periods, increased H-1B visa fees, and made passports mandatory for diversity visas. Trump implemented a new, comprehensive travel ban in June 2025, completely or partially banning citizens of 19 countries from entering the United States.
In response, Somalia ended visa-free travel for US passport holders. Other affected countries retaliated. Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Myanmar also removed the United States from the new visa-free list. Brazil ended visa-free entry for US citizens in April 2025 due to the US not providing reciprocal access. This affected the US passport rankings. Trump launched a trade war and pursued tariff policies to increase America’s income. This caused damage. Countries around the world react in the same way to America’s harsh policies.
