Trump’s travel ban could cement racism as his most dangerous legacy

From his so-called ‘Muslim ban’ to slashing DEI measures, the US president has turned taboo behaviour into norms

This month marks exactly 10 years since Donald Trump coasted down an escalator at Trump Tower, declared his run for US president and accused Mexico of sending drugs, criminals and rapists into the homeland. The past decade has been exercise in normalising.

When Trump threatened to terminate Elon Musk’s government contracts, and Musk linked Trump to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, all because of a petty clash of egos, people were riveted but unsurprised. Likewise, when Trump ordered a travel ban on a dozen countries, many reacted with a collective shrug: well, of course he did.

There was little sign of the collective uprising and airport protests that greeted Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban” – an executive order that barred travel to the US for 90 days from seven predominantly Muslim countries – in January 2017. The president’s spectacular blow-up with Musk ensured the attention cycle quickly moved on.

Read more on the original article : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/09/trump-travel-ban-policy-racism