Trump's embrace of hatred and bigotry has tourists shunning America and costing the country billions.
Since Donald Trump assumed the presidency in January of 2017, international travel to the United States has slumped, as the world is repelled by his ongoing embrace of bigotry and incompetence.
And new numbers from the National Travel and Tourism Office prove it the Trump travel slump is real and having significant consequences for the United States. There has been a 3.3 percent drop in travel spending and a 4 percent collapse in inbound travel to the United States.
What this means is that the country has lost $4.6 billion that would have been spent in America and missed out on 40,000 jobs.
Those lost jobs join the other 250,000-plus American jobs that have moved overseas as Trump presides over a rise in outsourcing and plant closings. That was before his massive tax giveaway to billionaires and corporations, which has enabled companies to make even more layoffs as he reverses the course of the ongoing Obama recovery.
So why won't tourists come? Trump.
Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics, laid it out for The New York Times: "Its not a reach to say the rhetoric and policies of this administration are affecting sentiment around the world, creating antipathy toward the U.S. and affecting travel behavior."
A perfect, recent example of this behavior was Trump's racist description of nations like Haiti as "shitholes" that should not send people to emigrate in America. The remark prompted protests in that nation, as well as a condemnation from Miami-Dade County in Florida, home to the nation's largest Haitian-American community.
The official condemnation was the second such proclamation from the county, after it condemned Trump for smearing Latinos. He launched his presidential campaign describing Mexicans as rapists, setting the tone early on for an image of America laced with hostility, and not the greatness he built his campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again" around.
The African Union, which represents 55 nations, responded to Trump's "shithole" comments as well, demanding a formal apology and expressing "shock, dismay and outrage" at what he said.
Traditionally rock-solid American allies have been forced into strained relations with America.
At the beginning of his presidency, Trump complained about an agreement to resettle refugees with Australia, and angrily cut short a phone call with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, immediately creating a hostile relationship with one of America's closest friends.
So far, Trump has not visited the United Kingdom, and anticipating major protests in reaction to a visit, tentative plans for a state visit were canceled. Prince Harry, who has a warm relationship with President Barack Obama, is reportedly considering not inviting Trump to his upcoming wedding to Meghan Markle.
Trump embraced hate, and the world has responded by shunning America.
The country has increasingly become an international pariah, choosing to walk away from important and interconnected legislation like the Paris climate accord.
Trump expressed solidarity with Nazis and white supremacists, hailing them as "very fine people." So toxic were his comments that many in corporate America chose to shun him and disbanded multiple White House councils that had been assembled to push for business policies. More than a dozen charities and organizations canceled events at Trump's Mar-a-Lago in response to his overt racism.
Even businesses that tend to turn a blind eye to morally questionable behavior rebuked Trump, so it isn't a surprise that average travelers followed their lead.
Trump has chosen the path of isolation and alienation. The rest of the world is getting the message and staying away, and America's reputation and economy are suffering as a result of his childish petulance and bigotry.
