CNN veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour raised eyebrows this week after admitting she was afraid to travel to the U.S. under President Donald Trump.
Speaking on the podcast The Ex Files with her ex-husband and co-host Jamie Rubin, Amanpour said her recent trip to the U.S. to speak at Harvard had her feeling like she was heading into a hostile regime—comparing it to North Korea.
“I must say I was afraid,” she shared. “I’m a foreigner. I don’t have a green card. I’m not an American citizen. I’m fairly prominent, and I literally prepared to go to America as if I was going to North Korea.” To be safe, she left her devices behind and brought only a burner phone with a few contacts on it.
Naturally, the internet had a field day. Critics mocked her, saying things like, “Don’t visit. We’ll survive,” and “Feel afraid to travel to America, then don’t come here.” Others accused her of being dramatic and out of touch.
Christiane Amanpour admits she was wrong
Still, Amanpour later admitted her fears didn’t match reality—she was welcomed warmly. “Huge sigh of relief I breathed,” she said. “But wow, can you imagine if I’m afraid, what do others think?”
Her comments come at a tense time. Trump just signed an executive order banning foreign students from studying at Harvard, citing national security. The administration claims foreign adversaries—especially China—use U.S. universities to steal information and spread propaganda.
That wasn’t all. Trump also announced a sweeping travel ban on 19 countries, limiting or outright banning entry from places like Iran, Libya, Venezuela, and more. And he didn’t mince words, saying in a video, “We don’t want ‘em… We cannot have open migration from any country where we can’t safely vet people.”
Between Amanpour’s anxiety and the new hardline policies, it’s safe to say tensions around immigration and international travel aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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