The president’s speech set off chaos at airports in Europe and created doubt for Americans who were bound to depart the U.S. — many of whom faced worries that they might not be able to return home, either under the travel ban or a new policy that might be enacted while they’re abroad.
The U.S. move came hours after the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a global pandemic.
Confusion about Trump’s plan was reflected in tweets from two journalists who were on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean when he made the announcement.
“Sitting at Atlanta airport after abandoning my flight to France late last night,” tweeted reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes of Charleston, South Carolina’s The Post and Courier.
After being blindsided by news of the travel ban, Hawes and a colleague had only an hour to decide whether to fly to Europe as planned. The White House guidance on U.S. exemptions came out nearly two hours after Trump began his speech. Hawes and her coworker opted to stay put rather than risk being stranded in Europe.
The scene was even more frantic at European airports.
“Bedlam at U.S.-bound airlines at [Charles De Gaulle airport] in Paris early this a.m., as Americans pay as much as $20,000 for last-minute flights,” reporter Mike McIntire of The New York Times said via Twitter.
McIntire added that he did not pay that large sum — but he said he got an urgent call from a relative in the U.S. after Trump announced the ban, and bought an expensive ticket online as a result.
Trump also said the ban will block “trade and cargo” from Europe, causing more confusion. The White House later clarified that the immigration law invoked by the president’s ban “only applies to the movement of human beings, not goods or cargo.”
In his address to the nation, the president said:
“To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days. The new rules will go into effect Friday at midnight. These restrictions will be adjusted subject to conditions on the ground.
“There will be exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings, and these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval. Anything coming from Europe to the United States is what we are discussing.”
Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the Trump administration’s COVID-19 effort, defended Trump’s handling of the primetime address, saying, “I don’t think there was confusion” created by the president’s remarks.
In an appearance on CNN Thursday morning, Pence also mentioned that Americans flying home from Europe “will be funneled through 13 different airports” where they will be screened and then asked to self-quarantine. Pence did not name those airports.
The confusion played out as a broader debate continues over the ability of travel bans to contain deadly diseases and protect vulnerable populations from an outbreak.