A data graphic highlighting how European travel to the United States was reported to have declined earlier this year has resurfaced on Threads following a new travel rule proposed by the Donald Trump administration.
According to a notice published in the Federal Register on December 10, the administration has proposed a measure that would require all foreign tourists applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to disclose up to five years of their social media history before they can travel to the U.S.
In a Threads post uploaded on Wednesday, user @davidmorehouse shared a screenshot of a data graphic titled: “The number of Europeans travelling to the US has cratered under Trump.”
The graphic, which was featured in the Financial Times earlier this year, shows several line charts indicating a decline in travelers to the U.S. from different European countries in March 2025, compared with the same month last year, according to data from the International Trade Administration.
The caption shared with the Threads post says: “European tourism numbers, thus far. Me: I think we’re gonna need a bigger chart.” The post has amassed 77,700 views and hundreds of comments, with several criticizing the proposed measure.
Asked whether the Trump administration is taking any steps to address concerns that President Trump’s policies may be discouraging international tourism in the country, a spokesperson for the White House told Newsweek on Thursday: “President Trump has done more for American tourism than anyone, including by making our cities safe and beautiful again for all to enjoy and bringing major events like the Los Angeles Olympics and FIFA World Cup to the United States. His America First agenda has restored our country’s place as the leader of the free world once again–making it the best place to live or visit.”
According to the BBC, when asked whether the latest proposal could lead to a decline in tourism to the U.S., President Trump said on Wednesday: “No. We’re doing so well.”
“We just want people to come over here, and [be] safe. We want safety. We want security,” the president said. “We want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people come enter our country.”
According to the BBC, a spokesperson for CBP said in a statement: “This is not a final rule, it is simply the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe.”
The Federal Registrar notice states that “in order to comply with the January 2025 Executive Order 14161 (Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats),” the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is “adding social media as a mandatory data element” for those applying for an ESTA.
“The data element will require ESTA applicants to provide their social media from the last 5 years,” the notice said.
According to the notice, the CBP also plans to collect previously used telephone numbers from the last five years, email addresses from the last 10 years, IP addresses, and metadata from electronically submitted photos.
The proposal also calls for the disclosure of information about family members, including names, dates of birth, and places of residence, among other personal data.
The notice states that the U.S. public has until February 9, 2026, to submit their comments about the proposal.
‘Really Afraid to Travel the United States Now’
The proposed new rules have sparked criticism on Threads, with several sharing their thoughts in the comments section of the aforementioned post.
User ubertopinferi noted: “No one in their right mind are willing to completely give up their privacy to enter a country, even the most beautiful in the world.”
User berkmans said: “I always loved going to the US. Now I’ll go somewhere else.”
User qvintus_eu wrote: “I’m surprised that European tourism to the United States hasn’t come down by “five hundred, six hundred, eight hundred percent, in some cases even more than that. It’s hard to believe.”
User xxbigdave noted: “I’ve always wanted to visit California, but honestly I’d be really afraid to travel to the United States now that Trump is back in power. I always knew your border controls were strict, but now they even check phones, messages, comments… I mean, if I once said that the US is making mistakes, could I risk being denied entry? After a 12-hour flight and lots of bookings?”
User derg_corra asked: “I want to know how many man hours it will take to scour 5 years’ worth of social media records for every tourist…”
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Threads.
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