International trips made by presidents of the United States have become a valuable part of the United States' interactions with foreign nations since such trips were first made in the early 20th century. Traveling abroad is one of the many duties of the president of the United States, leading the nation's diplomatic efforts through state visits, private meetings with foreign leaders or attending international summits. These are complicated undertakings that require months of planning along with a great deal of coordination and communication.
In the 19th century, American social convention made international travel by the incumbent president taboo, though foreign travel by former presidents was acceptable. The most widely publicized trip of this nature was the 1877–79 world tour of Ulysses S. Grant. Domestic travel was regarded as a welcome opportunity for presidents to talk with the people who had elected them, but foreign travel was seen in an altogether different light. The general public did not want their president mingling with royalty, visiting grand palaces, or exchanging bows with kings and queens.[1] This taboo was broken in the early 20th century, as policy makers at the federal level began to reevaluate the nation's role in international affairs.
The first international presidential trip, Theodore Roosevelt's 1906 visit to Panama, signaled a new era in how presidents conducted diplomatic relations with other countries.[2] Roosevelt's four immediate successors made at least one international trip while in office, cementing the acceptability of presidential global travel.
New transportation technologies also played a role in the changing patterns of presidential travel as well. Early in the 20th century, trips were made by steamship. When Woodrow Wilson traveled to Europe aboard the George Washington in 1918–19, the voyage took nine days. Forty years later, Dwight Eisenhower made the same trip by jet in nine hours. Jet aircraft enabled American presidents to travel the globe in ways that would have been impractical if not inconceivable before.[1] While Eisenhower was the first president to travel by jet (and the first to travel via helicopter as well), the first airplane trips by a sitting president were those of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He made multiple long-distance trips abroad by plane, each one an offshoot of Allied diplomatic interactions during World War II. Lyndon B. Johnson, who flew 523,000 miles aboard Air Force One while in office, made the first round-the-world presidential trip in December 1967.
The frequency and travel distance of presidential international travel has increased dramatically since George H. W. Bush became president in 1989. In 1990 the military version of the Boeing 747, the VC-25, was introduced for the use of the president. The planes have over 4,000 square feet (372 m2) of floor space, a bedroom and a shower, and enough secure communications to allow the plane to be a reasonable place to run the country. The plane is accompanied by a heavy lift aircraft that carries the helicopters and the limousines. Presidents Bill Clinton (1993–2001) and George W. Bush (2001–2009) visited 72 and 73 countries respectively during their terms of office. All totaled, they went to 91 countries with a combined population of 85% of the world total. President Barack Obama (2009–2017) visited 58 countries. Presidential visits of over 10,000 miles (16,093 km) are common. A round the world trip was first done by Johnson and subsequently has been done by presidents Nixon and Bush. Trips to Europe and Asia are becoming almost routine in the 21st century.
Early 20th century trips
editWith the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914, the American Panama Canal Zone became a major staging area for the U.S. military and the U.S. became the dominant military power in Central America.[3] When Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Panama in November 1906 to inspect progress on the canal, he became the first U.S. president to leave the country while in office.[4] Subsequently, both William Howard Taft (in 1909)[5] and Warren G. Harding (in 1920)[6] visited Panama while each was the president-elect.
Taft and Harding each made one international trip while president. Taft and Mexican president Porfirio Díaz exchanged visits across the Mexico–United States border, at El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, in October 1909. While filled with much symbolism, the meetings did pave the way for the start of construction on the Elephant Butte Dam project in 1911, even as Mexico fell into revolution.[7] Harding made an official visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 27, 1923 (six days prior to his death). Greeted dock-side by the premier of British Columbia and the mayor of Vancouver, he was given a parade through the city to Stanley Park, where he spoke to an audience estimated at over 40,000.[8]
Woodrow Wilson made two international trips while in office. When he sailed for France in December 1918 for the Paris Peace Conference, he became the first sitting president to travel to Europe.[9] He spent nearly seven months in Europe, interrupted by a brief nine-day return to the U.S. in late February 1919.[10] Wilson was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for his peacemaking efforts.[11] While in Rome, he met with Pope Benedict XV; this was the first meeting between an incumbent American president and a reigning pope.[12]
Calvin Coolidge traveled to Havana, Cuba, in January 1928, where he addressed the Sixth International Conference of American States. There, he extended an olive branch to Latin American leaders embittered over America's interventionist policies in Central America and the Caribbean. It was the only time in his life that he traveled outside the contiguous United States.[13][14]
The most recent president not to make any international trips during his time in office was Herbert Hoover (1929–33). He did, however, undertake an extensive ten-week tour of Latin America during the time he was president-elect.[15] He delivered 25 speeches in 10 countries, almost all of which stressed his plans to reduce American political and military interference in Latin American affairs. In sum, he pledged that the United States would act as a "good neighbor."[16][17]
Franklin D. Roosevelt
editFranklin D. Roosevelt made 20 international trips during his presidency.[18] His early travels were by ship, frequently for fishing vacations to the Bahama Banks, Canadian Maritimes or Newfoundland Island. One such fishing expedition in August 1941 was a subterfuge to cover his first official meeting with Winston Churchill, the so-called Atlantic Conference. In 1943 he became the first incumbent president to fly by airplane across the Atlantic Ocean during his secret mission to Casablanca. As a result of this trip, he also became the first president to visit North Africa while in office.
Harry S. Truman
editHarry S. Truman made five international trips during his presidency.[19] Three months after ascending to the presidency, Truman made his only trans-Atlantic trip as president to participate in talks concerning how to administer the defeated Nazi Germany, which had agreed to unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier (V-E Day). He also visited neighboring Bermuda, Canada and Mexico, plus Brazil in South America. Truman only left the continental United States on two other occasions (to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, February 20–March 5, 1948; and to Wake Island, October 11–18, 1950) during his nearly eight years in office.[20]
Dwight D. Eisenhower
editDwight D. Eisenhower made 16 international trips during his presidency.[21] He also traveled abroad once while president-elect, visiting South Korea in December 1952, fulfilling a campaign pledge to investigate what might get stalled Korean War peace talks moving forward.[22] By the time he left office in January 1961, Eisenhower had visited 26 countries.
Columbine II, one of four propeller-driven aircraft introduced to presidential service during Eisenhower's first term in office, was the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after an incident in 1953, when Eastern Air Lines 8610, a commercial flight, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower. Initially used informally, the designation became official in 1962.[23][24]
In 1959, the Air Force added the first of three specially built Boeing 707-120 jet aircraft—VC-137s, designated SAM (Special Air Missions) 970, 971 and 972—into the fleet.[25] The high-speed jet technology built into these aircraft enabled presidents from Eisenhower through Nixon to travel long distances more quickly for face-to-face meetings with world leaders.[26] That year he journeyed to Europe, Southeast Asia, South America, Middle East, and Southern Asia. On his "Flight to Peace" goodwill tour in December 1959, the president visited 11 nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000 km) in 19 days aboard the VC-137 SAM970.
John F. Kennedy
editJohn F. Kennedy made eight international trips during his presidency.[27] Two of these were to Europe, and the other six were to various nations in the Western Hemisphere. His second trip to Europe included the famous speech Ich bin ein Berliner at the Berlin Wall, the visit of the first Catholic president to Vatican City, plus the visit to Kennedy's ancestral home in Ireland. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy traveled with him on his 1961 visit to France and received such a popular reaction there that the president quipped "I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris – and I have enjoyed it!"[28][29]
Lyndon B. Johnson
editLyndon B. Johnson made 11 international trips during his presidency.[30] He flew 523,000 miles aboard Air Force One while in office. Eschewing Europe in favor of Southeast Asia and Latin America. One of the most unusual international trips in presidential history occurred before Christmas in 1967. The president began the trip by going to the memorial service for Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, who had disappeared in a swimming accident and was presumed drowned. The White House did not reveal in advance to the press that the president would make the first round-the-world presidential trip. The trip was 26,959 miles completed in 112.5 hours (4.7 days). The trip crossed the equator twice, stopped in Travis Air Force Base, California, then Honolulu, Pago Pago, Canberra, Melbourne, Vietnam, Karachi and Rome.
Richard Nixon
editRichard M. Nixon made 15 international trips during his presidency.[31] He made the unusual move of going on a week-long trip to Europe only five weeks after his inauguration. Nixon's 1972 visit to China was an important strategic and diplomatic overture that marked the culmination of the Nixon administration's resumption of cordial relations between the U.S. and China. He also made groundbreaking trips to various Communist-ruled nations as well, including: Romania (1969), Yugoslavia (1970), Poland (1972), and the Soviet Union (1972 and 1974). In 1972 Nixon received delivery of the second custom outfitted jet to be used as Air Force One, VC-137C SAM 27000.
Gerald Ford
editGerald Ford made seven international trips during his presidency.[32] Ford made the first visit of a sitting president to Japan, and followed it with a trip to the Republic of Korea and the Soviet Union (to attend the Vladivostok Summit).
Jimmy Carter
editJimmy Carter made 12 international trips to 25 countries during his presidency.[33] Carter was the first president to make a state visit to Sub-Saharan Africa when he went to Nigeria in 1978. His travel included five trips to Europe and three trips to Asia. He also made several trips to the Middle East to broker peace negotiations. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his peacemaking efforts.[34] In 1978, he travelled to Panama City to sign a protocol confirming exchange of documents ratifying the Panama Canal treaties.
Ronald Reagan
editRonald Reagan made 25 international trips to 26 countries during his presidency.[35] He made seven trips to continental Europe, three to Asia and one to South America. He is perhaps best remembered for his speeches at the 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings, for his impassioned speech at the Berlin Wall, his summit meetings with Mikhail Gorbachev, and riding horses with the Queen at Windsor Park.
Reagan's presidency would be transitional in international travel. During his term in office, he ordered the two special mission Boeing VC-25 that would become the new presidential transport to replace the aging Boeing 707s. Heavy lift aircraft could bring security, limousines, and helicopters. After that time, the president had access to inflight bedrooms and showers, boardrooms, and communication equipment and with refueling virtually unlimited range. Summit meetings would proliferate, and international travel would become more of a constant expectation of the presidency.
George H. W. Bush
editGeorge H. W. Bush made 26 international trips to 37 countries during his presidency.[36] He initiated the frequent international travel pace that is the hallmark of the post–Cold War presidency. He went to Europe eleven times, Asia twice, and South America once, along with a number of shorter trips during his four years in office.
Bill Clinton
editBill Clinton made 54 trips to 72 countries (in addition to visiting the West Bank and Gaza) during his presidency.[37] He made 24 trips to continental Europe, seventeen to Asia, two to Africa and to Australia. His others were to nations in the Americas. He took an active role in the Balkans, where he worked to promote peace and stability in and around the former Yugoslavia, and in the Middle East peace process, where he worked to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as with the governments of neighboring nations.
George W. Bush
editGeorge W. Bush made 49 trips to 73 countries (in addition to visiting the West Bank) during his presidency.[38] During the course of his first year in office alone, he took seven trips to seventeen countries. He visited six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. On one of his two trips to Sub-Saharan Africa, he visited three of the poorest countries in the world at the time: Liberia, Rwanda, and Benin. He also made a secret trip to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day 2003 to dine with the troops. His father had made a similar visit to the U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia in 1990. On November 15–20, 2006, Bush made the third round the world presidential flight (after Johnson and Nixon) when he went to Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
Barack Obama
editBarack Obama made 52 trips to 58 countries (in addition to visiting the West Bank) during his presidency. He set the record as the most-traveled president for any first year in office: he took the most trips, visited the most countries, and spent the most days abroad. Obama made ten trips to 21 countries (four countries were visited twice) and was out of the U.S. a total of 37 days. The one geopolitical region that he never visited was Central Asia; this region has never been visited by a sitting U.S. president.[39]
In December 2010, he made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, where he visited with U.S. troops. The surprise trip came as the U.S. and NATO withdraw most of their forces from that country ahead of a year-end deadline. In November 2012 he visited Myanmar, where he bolstered the reforms undertaken by that nation's military-backed government.[40] In March 2016, he made a historic trip to Cuba to underscore the thaw in Cuba–United States relations following a 54-year rift.
Donald Trump
editDonald Trump made 19 international trips to 24 countries (in addition to visiting the West Bank) during his first presidency. His 2018 Singapore Summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was the first-ever meeting between an incumbent U.S. president and a leader of North Korea. One year later, in June 2019, Trump also became the first U.S. president to cross over the Korean Demilitarized Zone and enter North Korea while in office. In December 2018, he made an unannounced Christmas trip to Iraq, where he visited with U.S. troops. Nearly a year later, in November 2019, he made an unannounced Thanksgiving trip to Afghanistan, where he visited with U.S. troops.
Joe Biden
editJoe Biden has made 20 international trips to 26 countries (in addition to visiting the West Bank) since his presidency began on January 20, 2021. He made six trips abroad in 2022, including a September visit to the United Kingdom for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. On February 20, 2023, he made an unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[41]
Table of destinations
editAltogether, 20 U.S. presidents have traveled to at least one foreign country or dependent territory while in office.
Region | Country or territory | NV | President and year of visit (Note: column sorts by year of first visit, not by president's name.) |
---|---|---|---|
Ethiopia | 1 |
Barack Obama 2015 | |
Kenya | 1 |
Barack Obama 2015 | |
Rwanda | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2008 | |
Somalia | 1 |
George H. W. Bush 1993 | |
Tanzania | 3 |
Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2008 • Barack Obama 2013 | |
Uganda | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2003 | |
Egypt | 17 |
1943 (2), 1945 • Richard Nixon 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1978, 1979 (2) • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1996, 2000 (2) • George W. Bush 2003, 2008 (2) • Barack Obama 2009 • Joe Biden 2022 | Franklin D. Roosevelt|
French Algeria [Note 1] | 2 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943, 1945 | |
Morocco [Note 2] | 3 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Bill Clinton 1999 | |
Tunisia [Note 3] | 3 |
1943 (2) • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 | Franklin D. Roosevelt|
Botswana | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2003 | |
South Africa | 4 |
2013 (2) | Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama|
Benin | 1 |
George W. Bush 2008 | |
French West Africa [Note 4] | 1 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 | |
Gambia [Note 5] | 2 |
1943 (2) | Franklin D. Roosevelt|
Ghana | 3 |
Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2008 • Barack Obama 2009 | |
Liberia | 3 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George W. Bush 2008 | |
Nigeria | 3 |
Jimmy Carter 1978 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2003 | |
Senegal | 4 |
2013 (2) | Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama|
The Bahamas [Note 6] | 5 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940 • John F. Kennedy 1962 | |
Barbados | 2 |
Ronald Reagan 1982 • Bill Clinton 1997 | |
British Leeward Islands [Note 7] | 1 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 | |
Costa Rica | 6 |
John F. Kennedy 1963 • Lyndon Johnson 1968 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • George H. W. Bush 1989 • Bill Clinton 1997 • Barack Obama 2013 | |
Cuba | 2 |
Calvin Coolidge 1928 • Barack Obama 2016 | |
El Salvador | 4 |
Lyndon Johnson 1968 • Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2002 • Barack Obama 2011 | |
Grenada | 1 |
Ronald Reagan 1986 | |
Guadeloupe | 1 |
Jimmy Carter 1979 | |
Guatemala | 3 |
Lyndon Johnson 1968 • Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2007 | |
Haiti | 2 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934 • Bill Clinton 1995 | |
Honduras | 3 |
Lyndon Johnson 1968 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • Bill Clinton 1999 | |
Jamaica [Note 8] | 3 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • Barack Obama 2015 | |
Martinique | 3 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 • Gerald Ford 1974 • George H. W. Bush 1991 | |
Mexico | 34 |
1966 (2), 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969, 1970 • Gerald Ford 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1979 • Ronald Reagan 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1997, 1999 • George W. Bush 2001, 2002 (2), 2004, 2006, 2007 • Barack Obama 2009 (2), 2012, 2013, 2014 • Joe Biden 2023 | William Howard Taft 1909 • Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 • Harry Truman 1947 • Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1959, 1960 • John F. Kennedy 1962 • Lyndon Johnson|
Nicaragua | 2 |
Lyndon Johnson 1968 • Bill Clinton 1999 | |
Panama | 10 |
Theodore Roosevelt 1906 • Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934, 1935, 1938, 1940 • Dwight Eisenhower 1956 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George H. W. Bush 1992 • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama 2015 | |
Saint Lucia [Note 9] | 1 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 | |
Saint Martin | 1 |
George H. W. Bush 1989 | |
Trinidad and Tobago [Note 10] | 5 |
1936 (2), 1943 (2) • Barack Obama 2009 | Franklin D. Roosevelt|
Bermuda | 7 |
Harry Truman 1946 • Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1957 • John F. Kennedy 1961 • Richard Nixon 1971 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1991 | |
Canada | 41 |
1936 (2), 1938, 1939 (2), 1943, 1944 • Harry Truman 1947 • Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1958, 1959 • John F. Kennedy 1961 • Lyndon Johnson 1964, 1966, 1967 • Richard Nixon 1972 • Ronald Reagan 1981 (2), 1985, 1987, 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1990, 1991 (2) • Bill Clinton 1993, 1995 (2), 1997, 1999 • George W. Bush 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007 • Barack Obama 2009, 2010, 2016 • Donald Trump 2018 • Joe Biden 2023 | Warren Harding 1923 • Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933,|
Newfoundland [Note 11] | 2 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1939, 1940 | |
Argentina | 7 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936 • Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama 2016 • Donald Trump 2018 | |
Brazil | 14 |
1943 (2) • Harry Truman 1947 • Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2005, 2007 • Barack Obama 2011 • Joe Biden 2024 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936,|
Chile | 5 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2004 • Barack Obama 2011 | |
Colombia | 8 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934 • John F. Kennedy 1961 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2004, 2007 • Barack Obama 2012 | |
Peru | 4 |
George W. Bush 2002, 2008 • Barack Obama 2016 • Joe Biden 2024 | |
Suriname [Note 12] | 1 |
Lyndon Johnson 1967 | |
Uruguay | 5 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936 • Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • George W. Bush 2007 | |
Venezuela | 4 |
John F. Kennedy 1961 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1997 | |
China | 13 |
Richard Nixon 1972 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Ronald Reagan 1984 • George H. W. Bush 1989 • Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2014, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017 | |
Japan | 25 |
2000 (2) • George W. Bush 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017, 2019 (2) • Joe Biden 2022, 2023 | Gerald Ford 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1979, 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1983, 1986 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1993, 1996, 1998,|
Mongolia | 1 |
George W. Bush 2005 | |
North Korea | 1 |
Donald Trump 2019 | |
South Korea | 20 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • Lyndon Johnson 1966 • Gerald Ford 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1979 • Ronald Reagan 1983 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1993, 1996, 1998 • George W. Bush 2002, 2005, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 • Donald Trump 2017, 2019 • Joe Biden 2022 | |
Taiwan | 1 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1960 | |
Afghanistan | 8 |
2010 (2), 2012, 2014 • Donald Trump 2019 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • George W. Bush 2006, 2008 • Barack Obama|
Bangladesh | 1 |
Bill Clinton 2000 | |
India | 9 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2006 • Barack Obama 2010, 2015 • Donald Trump 2020 • Joe Biden 2023 | |
Pakistan | 5 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2006 | |
Brunei | 1 |
Bill Clinton 2000 | |
Cambodia | 2 |
Barack Obama 2012 • Joe Biden 2022 | |
Indonesia | 9 |
Richard Nixon 1969 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Ronald Reagan 1986 • Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2003, 2006 • Barack Obama 2010, 2011 • Joe Biden 2022 | |
Laos | 1 |
Barack Obama 2016 | |
Malaysia | 3 |
Lyndon Johnson 1966 • Barack Obama 2014, 2015 | |
Myanmar | 2 |
Barack Obama 2012, 2014 | |
Philippines | 10 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • Lyndon Johnson 1966 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1996 • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama 2014, 2015 • Donald Trump 2017 | |
Singapore | 5 |
George H. W. Bush 1992 • George W. Bush 2003, 2006 • Barack Obama 2009 • Donald Trump 2018 | |
South Vietnam [Note 13] | 3 |
Lyndon Johnson 1966, 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969 | |
Thailand | 7 |
Lyndon Johnson 1966, 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Bill Clinton 1996 • George W. Bush 2003, 2008 • Barack Obama 2012 | |
Vietnam | 6 |
Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2006 • Barack Obama 2016 • Donald Trump 2017, 2019 • Joe Biden 2023 | |
Bahrain | 1 |
George W. Bush 2008 | |
Georgia | 1 |
George W. Bush 2005 | |
Iran | 4 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Richard Nixon 1972 • Jimmy Carter 1978 | |
Iraq | 6 |
George W. Bush 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009 • Donald Trump 2018 | |
Israel | 13 |
2008 (2) • Barack Obama 2013, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022, 2023 | Richard Nixon 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1979 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 • George W. Bush|
Jordan | 6 |
Richard Nixon 1974 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1999 • George W. Bush 2003, 2006 • Barack Obama 2013 | |
Kuwait | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2008 | |
Oman | 1 |
Bill Clinton 2000 | |
Palestinian Authority | 5 |
Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2008 • Barack Obama 2013 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022 | |
Qatar | 1 |
George W. Bush 2003 | |
Saudi Arabia | 13 |
2008 (2) • Barack Obama 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022 | Richard Nixon 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush|
Syria | 2 |
Richard Nixon 1974 • Bill Clinton 1994 | |
Turkey | 6 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2004 • Barack Obama 2009, 2015 | |
United Arab Emirates | 1 |
George W. Bush 2008 | |
Belarus [Note 14] | 1
|
Bill Clinton 1994 | |
Bulgaria | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2007 | |
Czech Republic | 5 |
Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2002, 2007 • Barack Obama 2009, 2010 | |
Czechoslovakia [Note 15] | 1 |
George H. W. Bush 1990 | |
Hungary | 4 |
George H. W. Bush 1989 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1996 • George W. Bush 2006 | |
Poland | 16 |
Richard Nixon 1972 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1977 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1997 • George W. Bush 2001, 2003, 2007 • Barack Obama 2011, 2014, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022, 2023 | |
Romania | 5 |
Richard Nixon 1969 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2002, 2008 | |
Russia [Note 14] | 15 |
2002 (2), 2003, 2005, 2006 (2), 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2013 | George H. W. Bush 1993 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 • George W. Bush|
Slovakia | 1 |
George W. Bush 2005 | |
Soviet Union [Note 16] | 6 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1945 • Richard Nixon 1972, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1974 • Ronald Reagan 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1991 | |
Ukraine [Note 14] | 5 |
Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 2000 • George W. Bush 2008 • Joe Biden 2023 | |
Denmark | 4 |
2009 (2) | Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama|
Estonia | 2 |
George W. Bush 2006 • Barack Obama 2014 | |
Finland | 7 |
Gerald Ford 1975 • Ronald Reagan 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1997 • Donald Trump 2018 • Joe Biden 2023 | |
Iceland | 2 |
Richard Nixon 1973 • Ronald Reagan 1986 | |
Latvia | 3 |
Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2005, 2006 | |
Lithuania | 2 |
George W. Bush 2002 • Joe Biden 2023 | |
Norway | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1999 • Barack Obama 2009 | |
Sweden | 2 |
George W. Bush 2001 • Barack Obama 2013 | |
Albania | 1 |
George W. Bush 2007 | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 |
Bill Clinton 1996, 1997, 1999 | |
Croatia | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1996 • George W. Bush 2008 | |
Greece | 4 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1999 • Barack Obama 2016 | |
Italy | 33 |
1994 (2), 1996, 1997, 1999 (3), 2000 • George W. Bush 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2014 • Donald Trump 2017 (2) • Joe Biden 2021, 2024 | Woodrow Wilson 1919 • Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • John F. Kennedy 1963 • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969, 1970 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1982, 1987 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1991 • Bill Clinton|
Kosovo | 2 |
Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2001 | |
Macedonia [Note 17] | 1 |
Bill Clinton 1999 | |
Malta [Note 18] | 3 |
Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943, 1945 • George H. W. Bush 1989 | |
Portugal | 9 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • Richard Nixon 1971, 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1985 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama 2010, 2016 | |
Slovenia | 3 |
Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2001, 2008 | |
Spain | 11 |
Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Richard Nixon 1970 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1985 • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1995, 1997 • George W. Bush 2001 • Barack Obama 2016 • Joe Biden 2022 | |
Vatican City | 22 |
Woodrow Wilson 1919 • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • John F. Kennedy 1963 • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969, 1970 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1982, 1987 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1991 • Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2014 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2021 | |
Yugoslavia [Note 19] | 3 |
Richard Nixon 1970 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1980 | |
Austria | 6 |
John F. Kennedy 1961 • Richard Nixon 1972, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1979 • George W. Bush 2006 | |
Belgium | 20 |
1989 (2) • Bill Clinton 1994, 1999 • George W. Bush 2001, 2005 • Barack Obama 2014 (2) • Donald Trump 2017, 2018 • Joe Biden 2021, 2022 | Woodrow Wilson 1919 • Harry Truman 1945 • Richard Nixon 1969, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Ronald Reagan 1985, 1988 • George H. W. Bush|
France | 41 |
1918 (2), 1919 (2) • Dwight Eisenhower 1957, 1959 (2), 1960 • John F. Kennedy 1961 • Richard Nixon 1969, 1970, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Ronald Reagan 1982, 1984, 1985 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 • George W. Bush 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009 (2), 2011 (2), 2014, 2015 • Donald Trump 2017, 2018, 2019 (2) • Joe Biden 2024 | Woodrow Wilson|
Germany [Note 20] | 36 |
1999 (2), 2000 • George W. Bush 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009 (2), 2013, 2015, 2016 (2) • Donald Trump 2017, 2018 • Joe Biden 2022, 2023 (2), 2024 | Harry Truman 1945 • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • John F. Kennedy 1963 • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Ronald Reagan 1982, 1985, 1987 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1990, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 1998,|
Ireland | 12 |
2019 (2) • Joe Biden 2023 | John F. Kennedy 1963 • Richard Nixon 1970 • Ronald Reagan 1984 • Bill Clinton 1995, 1998, 2000 • George W. Bush 2004, 2006 • Barack Obama 2011 • Donald Trump|
Netherlands | 5 |
George H. W. Bush 1989, 1991 • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama 2014 | |
Switzerland | 12 |
2000 (2) • Donald Trump 2018, 2020 • Joe Biden 2021 | Dwight Eisenhower 1955 • Jimmy Carter 1977 • Ronald Reagan 1985 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1998, 1999,|
United Kingdom | 43 |
1959 (2) • John F. Kennedy 1961, 1963 • Richard Nixon 1969 (2), 1970 • Jimmy Carter 1977 • Ronald Reagan 1982, 1984, 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1990, 1991 • Bill Clinton 1994 (2), 1995, 1997, 1998 (2), 2000 • George W. Bush 2001, 2003 (2), 2005, 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016 • Donald Trump 2018, 2019 (2) • Joe Biden 2021 (2), 2022 (3), 2023 (2) | Woodrow Wilson 1918 • Harry Truman 1945 • Dwight Eisenhower|
Australia | 8 |
Lyndon Johnson 1966, 1967 • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1996 • George W. Bush 2003, 2007 • Barack Obama 2011, 2014 | |
New Zealand | 2 |
Lyndon Johnson 1966 • Bill Clinton 1999 | |
Source: [42][43] |
Notes
edit- ^ Algeria was ruled as an integral part of France at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visits in 1943 and 1945. It became an independent sovereign state on July 5, 1962 following the Algerian War, the 1962 French Évian Accords referendum, and the 1962 Algerian independence referendum.
- ^ Morocco was a French protectorate at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit in 1943. It became an independent sovereign state on April 7, 1956.
- ^ Tunisia was a French protectorate at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visits in 1943. It became an independent sovereign state on March 20, 1956.
- ^ French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa. It ceased to exist after the 1958 French constitutional referendum.
- ^ The Gambia was a colony and protectorate of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visits in 1943. It became an independent sovereign state on February 18, 1965 after passage of the Gambia Independence Act 1964.
- ^ The Bahamas was a colony of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy's visits. It became an independent sovereign state on July 10, 1973.
- ^ The British Leeward Islands was a colony of the United Kingdom which was dissolved in 1958.
- ^ Jamaica was a colony of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit in 1940. It became an independent sovereign state on August 6, 1962.
- ^ Saint Lucia was a colony of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit in 1940. It became an independent sovereign state on February 22, 1979.
- ^ Trinidad and Tobago was a colony of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visits in 1936 and 1943. It became an independent sovereign state on August 31, 1962 after passage of the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962.
- ^ Newfoundland was a dominion of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visits in 1939 and 1940. It became a province of the Canadian Confederation on March 31, 1949, following the 1948 Newfoundland referendums. Its name was officially changed to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001.
- ^ Suriname was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the time of Lyndon B. Johnson's visit in 1967. It became an independent sovereign state on November 25, 1975.
- ^ South Vietnam merged with North Vietnam on July 2, 1976 to form a single country.
- ^ a b c U.S. presidential visits made prior to December 26, 1991 to this former Soviet republic are listed under the Soviet Union.
- ^ Czechoslovakia was split into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.
- ^ The Soviet Union was split into 15 independent countries in 1991.
- ^ Name was changed from Macedonia to North Macedonia on February 12, 2019.
- ^ Malta was a colony of the United Kingdom at the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt's visits in 1943 and 1945. It became an independent sovereign state on September 21, 1964.
- ^ Yugoslavia was broken up in 1991–1992.
- ^ Germany was occupied by the Allies of World War II at the time of Harry S. Truman's visit in 1945. All subsequent visits by U.S. presidents have been made to the Federal Republic of Germany, which was known colloquially as "West Germany" from 1949 to 1990 during the post World War II West–East division of Germany. No incumbent U.S. president ever visited the German Democratic Republic ("East Germany") during its existence in the same time frame.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Ellis, Richard J. (2008). Presidential Travel: The Journey from George Washington to George W. Bush. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7006-1580-3.
- ^ "Teddy Roosevelt travels to Panama". www.history.com. A+E Networks. August 21, 2018 [Originally published November 16, 2009]. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Milkis, Sidney (October 4, 2016). "Theodore Roosevelt: Foreign Affairs". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Gould, Lewis L. (2011). The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt (2nd ed.). Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-7006-1774-6.
- ^ "William Howard Taft". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ "Warren G. Harding". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ "The Taft Diaz meeting: the first U.S. Presidential visit to Mexico". Middelburg, Netherlands: Roosevelt Institute for American Studies. October 15, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Belyk, Robert C. (January 17, 2017) [February–March 1988, The Beaver]. "President Harding's Last Stand: Vancouver gave him a hero's welcome and then he sailed away and died". Winnipeg, Manitoba: Canada's National History Society. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Ambar, Saladin (October 4, 2016). "Woodrow Wilson: Foreign Affairs". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ "Woodrow Wilson". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 1919". nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB. 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ McAuley, Joseph (September 4, 2015). "When presidents and popes meet: Woodrow Wilson and Benedict XV". America: The Jesuit Review. New York City: America Press, Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Kim, Susanna (December 18, 2014). "Here's What Happened the Last Time a US President Visited Cuba". ABC News. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Greenburg, David (October 4, 2016). "Calvin Coolidge: Foreign Affairs". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ "Herbert C. Hoover". Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Hamilton, David E. (October 4, 2016). "Herbert Hoover: Foreign Affairs". Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ^ Deconde, Alexander (March 1950). "Herbert Hoover's Good Will Tour". Historian. 12 (2): 167–181. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.1950.tb00106.x.
- ^ "Travels of President Franklin D. Roosevelt". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "Travels of President Harry S. Truman". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "President Truman's Travel logs". The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Travels of President Dwight D. Eisenhower". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "The Korean War". Abilene, Kansas: Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Original Air Force One will depart Arizona for Virginia, undergo further restoration". Phoenix, Arizona: KTAR News – 92.3 FM. March 26, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Air Force One". whitehousemuseum.org. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "First of 3 Jets for President and Top Aides Is Unveiled". The New York Times. April 28, 1959. Retrieved June 26, 2019 – via New York Times Archive.
- ^ "Boeing VC-137B "Air Force One". Seattle, Washington: The Museum of Flight. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Travels of President John F. Kennedy". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "Nation: La Presidente". Time. June 9, 1961. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ Blair, W. Grainger (June 3, 1961). "Just an Escort, Kennedy Jokes As Wife's Charm Enchants Paris; First Lady Wins Bouquets From Press -- She Also Has Brief Chance to Visit Museum and Admire Manet". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
- ^ "Travels of President Lyndon B. Johnson". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "Travels of President Richard M. Nixon". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "Travels of President Gerald R. Ford". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "Travels of President Jimmy Carter". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize 2002". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ^ "Travels of President Ronald Reagan". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ "Travels of President George H. W. Bush". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on 2011-11-09.
- ^ "Travels of President William J. Clinton". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on 2011-10-16.
- ^ "Travels of President George W. Bush". U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian.
- ^ Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, 113th Congress, 2nd Session (2014). The Development of Energy Resources in Central Asia (Report). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Publishing Office. p. 32. Serial 113–160. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
{{cite report}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Einhorn, Bruce (November 13, 2014). "Obama Visits Myanmar, a Success Story That Has Soured". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Humphrey, Andrew; Moloney, Marita (February 20, 2023). "Biden makes surprise visit to Kyiv ahead of Ukraine war anniversary". BBC News. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ "Travels Abroad of the President". history.state.gov. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ Austin, Sarah (April 23, 2023). "5 facts about presidential travel abroad". Pew Research Center. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
External links
edit- Travels Abroad of the President, Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs, United States Department of State
- Going Global: Assessing Presidential Foreign Travel, Amnon Cavari and Micah Ables. Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya
- International Presidential Travel Cost Analyses Archive, National Taxpayers Union Foundation