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.
With 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 made 24 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 Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Great 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 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 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 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 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 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 has made 21 international trips to 28 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] In December 2024, Biden became the first incumbent president to visit Cape Verde and Angola.
Twenty sitting U.S. presidents have traveled to at least one foreign country or dependent territory.
Region | Country or territory | NV | President and year of visit (Note: column sorts by year of first visit, not by president's name.) |
---|---|---|---|
Angola | 1 | Joe Biden 2024 | |
Ethiopia | 1 | Barack Obama 2015 | |
Kenya | 1 | Barack Obama 2015 | |
Rwanda | 2 | • George W. Bush 2008 | Bill Clinton 1998|
Somalia | 1 | George H. W. Bush 1993 | |
Tanzania | 3 | • George W. Bush 2008 • Barack Obama 2013 | Bill Clinton 2000|
Uganda | 2 | • George W. Bush 2003 | Bill Clinton 1998|
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 | • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Bill Clinton 1999 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943|
Tunisia [Note 3] | 3 | 1943 (2) • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 | Franklin D. Roosevelt|
Botswana | 2 | • George W. Bush 2003 | Bill Clinton 1998|
South Africa | 4 | • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama 2013 (2) | Bill Clinton 1998|
Benin | 1 | George W. Bush 2008 | |
Cape Verde | 1 | Joe Biden 2024 | |
French West Africa [Note 4] | 1 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 | |
Gambia [Note 5] | 2 | 1943 (2) | Franklin D. Roosevelt|
Ghana | 3 | • George W. Bush 2008 • Barack Obama 2009 | Bill Clinton 1998|
Liberia | 3 | • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George W. Bush 2008 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943|
Nigeria | 3 | • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2003 | Jimmy Carter 1978|
Senegal | 4 | • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama 2013 (2) | Bill Clinton 1998|
The Bahamas [Note 6] | 5 | • John F. Kennedy 1962 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940|
Barbados | 2 | • Bill Clinton 1997 | Ronald Reagan 1982|
British Leeward Islands [Note 7] | 1 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940 | |
Costa Rica | 6 | • Lyndon Johnson 1968 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • George H. W. Bush 1989 • Bill Clinton 1997 • Barack Obama 2013 | John F. Kennedy 1963|
Cuba | 2 | • Barack Obama 2016 | Calvin Coolidge 1928|
El Salvador | 4 | • Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2002 • Barack Obama 2011 | Lyndon Johnson 1968|
Grenada | 1 | Ronald Reagan 1986 | |
Guadeloupe | 1 | Jimmy Carter 1979 | |
Guatemala | 3 | • Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2007 | Lyndon Johnson 1968|
Haiti | 2 | • Bill Clinton 1995 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934|
Honduras | 3 | • Ronald Reagan 1982 • Bill Clinton 1999 | Lyndon Johnson 1968|
Jamaica [Note 8] | 3 | • Ronald Reagan 1982 • Barack Obama 2015 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940|
Martinique | 3 | • Gerald Ford 1974 • George H. W. Bush 1991 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1940|
Mexico | 34 | • Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943 • Harry Truman 1947 • Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1959, 1960 • John F. Kennedy 1962 • Lyndon Johnson 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|
Nicaragua | 2 | • Bill Clinton 1999 | Lyndon Johnson 1968|
Panama | 10 | • 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 | Theodore Roosevelt 1906|
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 | • Dwight Eisenhower 1953, 1957 • John F. Kennedy 1961 • Richard Nixon 1971 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1991 | Harry Truman 1946|
Canada | 41 | • Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933, 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|
Newfoundland [Note 11] | 2 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1939, 1940 | |
Argentina | 7 | • Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama 2016 • Donald Trump 2018 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936|
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 | • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2004 • Barack Obama 2011 | Dwight Eisenhower 1960|
Colombia | 8 | • John F. Kennedy 1961 • Ronald Reagan 1982 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1998 • George W. Bush 2004, 2007 • Barack Obama 2012 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1934|
Peru | 4 | • Barack Obama 2016 • Joe Biden 2024 | George W. Bush 2002, 2008|
Suriname [Note 12] | 1 | Lyndon Johnson 1967 | |
Uruguay | 5 | • Dwight Eisenhower 1960 • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • George W. Bush 2007 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936|
Venezuela | 4 | • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1997 | John F. Kennedy 1961|
China | 13 | • 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 | Richard Nixon 1972|
Japan | 25 | • Jimmy Carter 1979, 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1983, 1986 • George H. W. Bush 1989, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1993, 1996, 1998, 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|
Mongolia | 1 | George W. Bush 2005 | |
North Korea | 1 | Donald Trump 2019 | |
South Korea | 20 | • 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 | Dwight Eisenhower 1960|
Taiwan | 1 | Dwight Eisenhower 1960 | |
Afghanistan | 8 | • George W. Bush 2006, 2008 • Barack Obama 2010 (2), 2012, 2014 • Donald Trump 2019 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959|
Bangladesh | 1 | Bill Clinton 2000 | |
India | 9 | • Richard Nixon 1969 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2006 • Barack Obama 2010, 2015 • Donald Trump 2020 •Joe Biden 2023 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959|
Pakistan | 5 | • Lyndon Johnson 1967 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2006 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959|
Brunei | 1 | Bill Clinton 2000 | |
Cambodia | 2 | • Joe Biden 2022 | Barack Obama 2012|
Indonesia | 9 | • Gerald Ford 1975 • Ronald Reagan 1986 • Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2003, 2006 • Barack Obama 2010, 2011 • Joe Biden 2022 | Richard Nixon 1969|
Laos | 1 | Barack Obama 2016 | |
Malaysia | 3 | • Barack Obama 2014, 2015 | Lyndon Johnson 1966|
Myanmar | 2 | Barack Obama 2012, 2014 | |
Philippines | 10 | • Lyndon Johnson 1966 • Richard Nixon 1969 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1996 • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama 2014, 2015 • Donald Trump 2017 | Dwight Eisenhower 1960|
Singapore | 5 | • George W. Bush 2003, 2006 • Barack Obama 2009 • Donald Trump 2018 | George H. W. Bush 1992|
South Vietnam [Note 13] | 3 | • Richard Nixon 1969 | Lyndon Johnson 1966, 1967|
Thailand | 7 | • Richard Nixon 1969 • Bill Clinton 1996 • George W. Bush 2003, 2008 • Barack Obama 2012 | Lyndon Johnson 1966, 1967|
Vietnam | 6 | • George W. Bush 2006 • Barack Obama 2016 • Donald Trump 2017, 2019 • Joe Biden 2023 | Bill Clinton 2000|
Bahrain | 1 | George W. Bush 2008 | |
Georgia | 1 | George W. Bush 2005 | |
Iran | 4 | • Dwight Eisenhower 1959 • Richard Nixon 1972 • Jimmy Carter 1978 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943|
Iraq | 6 | • Barack Obama 2009 • Donald Trump 2018 | George W. Bush 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008|
Israel | 13 | • Jimmy Carter 1979 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 • George W. Bush 2008 (2) • Barack Obama 2013, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022, 2023 | Richard Nixon 1974|
Jordan | 6 | • Bill Clinton 1994, 1999 • George W. Bush 2003, 2006 • Barack Obama 2013 | Richard Nixon 1974|
Kuwait | 2 | • George W. Bush 2008 | Bill Clinton 1994|
Oman | 1 | Bill Clinton 2000 | |
Palestinian Authority | 5 | • George W. Bush 2008 • Barack Obama 2013 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022 | Bill Clinton 1998|
Qatar | 1 | George W. Bush 2003 | |
Saudi Arabia | 13 | • Jimmy Carter 1978 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1994 • George W. Bush 2008 (2) • Barack Obama 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 • Donald Trump 2017 • Joe Biden 2022 | Richard Nixon 1974|
Syria | 2 | • Bill Clinton 1994 | Richard Nixon 1974|
Turkey | 6 | • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1999 • George W. Bush 2004 • Barack Obama 2009, 2015 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959|
United Arab Emirates | 1 | George W. Bush 2008 | |
Belarus [Note 14] | 1 | Bill Clinton 1994 | |
Bulgaria | 2 | • George W. Bush 2007 | Bill Clinton 1999|
Czech Republic | 5 | • George W. Bush 2002, 2007 • Barack Obama 2009, 2010 | Bill Clinton 1994|
Czechoslovakia [Note 15] | 1 | George H. W. Bush 1990 | |
Hungary | 4 | • Bill Clinton 1994, 1996 • George W. Bush 2006 | George H. W. Bush 1989|
Poland | 16 | • 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 | Richard Nixon 1972|
Romania | 5 | • Gerald Ford 1975 • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2002, 2008 | Richard Nixon 1969|
Russia [Note 14] | 15 | • Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000 • George W. Bush 2002 (2), 2003, 2005, 2006 (2), 2008 • Barack Obama 2009, 2013 | George H. W. Bush 1993|
Slovakia | 1 | George W. Bush 2005 | |
Soviet Union [Note 16] | 6 | • Richard Nixon 1972, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1974 • Ronald Reagan 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1991 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1945|
Ukraine [Note 14] | 5 | • George W. Bush 2008 • Joe Biden 2023 | Bill Clinton 1994, 1995, 2000|
Denmark | 4 | • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama 2009 (2) | Bill Clinton 1997|
Estonia | 2 | • Barack Obama 2014 | George W. Bush 2006|
Finland | 7 | • Ronald Reagan 1988 • George H. W. Bush 1990, 1992 • Bill Clinton 1997 • Donald Trump 2018 • Joe Biden 2023 | Gerald Ford 1975|
Iceland | 2 | • Ronald Reagan 1986 | Richard Nixon 1973|
Latvia | 3 | • George W. Bush 2005, 2006 | Bill Clinton 1994|
Lithuania | 2 | • Joe Biden 2023 | George W. Bush 2002|
Norway | 2 | • Barack Obama 2009 | Bill Clinton 1999|
Sweden | 2 | • Barack Obama 2013 | George W. Bush 2001|
Albania | 1 | George W. Bush 2007 | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3 | Bill Clinton 1996, 1997, 1999 | |
Croatia | 2 | • George W. Bush 2008 | Bill Clinton 1996|
Greece | 4 | • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1999 • Barack Obama 2016 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959|
Italy | 33 | • 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 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|
Kosovo | 2 | • George W. Bush 2001 | Bill Clinton 1999|
Macedonia [Note 17] | 1 | Bill Clinton 1999 | |
Malta [Note 18] | 3 | • George H. W. Bush 1989 | Franklin D. Roosevelt 1943, 1945|
Portugal | 9 | • Richard Nixon 1971, 1974 • Jimmy Carter 1980 • Ronald Reagan 1985 • Bill Clinton 2000 • George W. Bush 2003 • Barack Obama 2010, 2016 | Dwight Eisenhower 1960|
Slovenia | 3 | • George W. Bush 2001, 2008 | Bill Clinton 1999|
Spain | 11 | • 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 | Dwight Eisenhower 1959|
Vatican City | 22 | • 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 | Woodrow Wilson 1919|
Yugoslavia [Note 19] | 3 | • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1980 | Richard Nixon 1970|
Austria | 6 | • Richard Nixon 1972, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1979 • George W. Bush 2006 | John F. Kennedy 1961|
Belgium | 20 | • Harry Truman 1945 • Richard Nixon 1969, 1974 • Gerald Ford 1975 • Jimmy Carter 1978 • Ronald Reagan 1985, 1988 • George H. W. Bush 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|
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 | • 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, 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|
Ireland | 12 | • Richard Nixon 1970 • Ronald Reagan 1984 • Bill Clinton 1995, 1998, 2000 • George W. Bush 2004, 2006 • Barack Obama 2011 • Donald Trump 2019 (2) • Joe Biden 2023 | John F. Kennedy 1963|
Netherlands | 5 | • Bill Clinton 1997 • George W. Bush 2005 • Barack Obama 2014 | George H. W. Bush 1989, 1991|
Switzerland | 12 | • Jimmy Carter 1977 • Ronald Reagan 1985 • George H. W. Bush 1990 • Bill Clinton 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000 (2) • Donald Trump 2018, 2020 • Joe Biden 2021 | Dwight Eisenhower 1955|
United Kingdom | 43 | • Harry Truman 1945 • Dwight Eisenhower 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|
Australia | 8 | • George H. W. Bush 1991 • Bill Clinton 1996 • George W. Bush 2003, 2007 • Barack Obama 2011, 2014 | Lyndon Johnson 1966, 1967|
New Zealand | 2 | • Bill Clinton 1999 | Lyndon Johnson 1966|
Source: [42] [43] |
Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used to transport the president, and as a metonym for the primary presidential aircraft, VC-25, although it can be used to refer to any Air Force aircraft the president travels on.
There have been 41 United States presidential visits to Canada by 14 presidents over the past century. As the U.S. president is both head of state and head of government, these visits have taken many forms, ranging from formal state visits to official visits, working visits, or private visits.
Fifteen presidents of the United States have made thirty-four presidential visits to Mexico. The first visit by an incumbent president to Mexico was made in 1909 by William Howard Taft. It was only the second time in U.S. history that a president left the country while in office.
Six United States presidents have made presidential visits to Sub-Saharan Africa. The first was an offshoot of Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretive World War II trip to French Morocco for the Casablanca Conference. Of the 46 African nations identified as sub-Saharan by the United Nations, 16 have been visited by an American president.
Ten United States presidents have made presidential visits to Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. The first trip by an incumbent president to Eastern Europe was made by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, to the Soviet Union, and was an offshoot of Allied diplomatic interactions during World War II. The first trip by an incumbent president to Northern Asia was made by Gerald Ford in 1974, also to the Soviet Union, and was an offshoot of U.S.–Soviet Détente during the Cold War. The first presidential visits to other Eastern European countries occurred during this era of easing geo-political tensions as well.
Eleven United States presidents and three presidents-elect have made thirty-four presidential visits to Central America. The first visit by an incumbent president to a country in Central America was made in 1906 by Theodore Roosevelt. The trip, to Panama, was the first international presidential trip in U.S. history, and signaled the start of a new era in how presidents conducted diplomatic relations with other countries. In 1928, Herbert Hoover, during the time when he was president-elect, visited the region during his historic "good will" trip, to Central and South America.
Nine presidents of the United States have made presidential visits to North Africa. The first trips by a sitting president to countries in North Africa were those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and were an offshoot of Allied diplomatic interactions during World War II. Of the five countries in the region, only Libya has not yet been visited by an American president.
Ten United States presidents have made presidential visits to the Middle East. The first trips by an incumbent president to countries in the Middle East were those by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and were an offshoot of Allied diplomatic interactions during World War II. To date, 16 visits have been made to Egypt, 12 to Saudi Arabia, 11 to Israel, six to both Iraq, Jordan and Turkey, four to Iran, three to the Palestinian Territories, two to both Kuwait and Syria, one to Bahrain, Georgia, Oman, Qatar, and to the United Arab Emirates. No incumbent American president has yet visited Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Eleven United States presidents and one president-elect have made presidential visits to South America. The first trip was made by Herbert Hoover in 1928. During this tour he delivered twenty-five speeches in ten Central and South American 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."
Nine United States presidents and one president-elect have made presidential visits to the Caribbean since 1928. Franklin D. Roosevelt made the most trips to the Caribbean islands (14), either for vacation or while involved with Allied diplomatic interactions during World War II. Of the 13 sovereign countries in the region, four—Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines—have not as of yet been visited by an American president.
Eight presidents of the United States have made presidential visits to South Asia. The first trip by a sitting president to South Asia was by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1959. Of the eight countries in the region, only 4 of them have been visited by a sitting American president: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. The other four countries, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, have never been visited by a sitting American president.
Ten United States presidents have made presidential visits to East Asia. The first presidential trip to a country in East Asia was made by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. Since then, all presidents, except John F. Kennedy, have traveled to one or more nations in the region while in office.
Thirteen United States presidents have made presidential visits to Southern Europe. Woodrow Wilson became the first incumbent president to visit a Southern European country in January 1919 in the aftermath of World War I. Visits occurring during the 1940s through 1980s were offshoots of American diplomatic interactions during World War II and then the Cold War.
Thirteen United States presidents have made presidential visits to Western Europe. The first visits by an incumbent president to countries in Western Europe were made in 1918 and 1919 by Woodrow Wilson in the aftermath of World War I. He was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize for his peacemaking efforts. Visits occurring during the 1940s through 1980s were offshoots of American diplomatic interactions following World War II and during the Cold War. To date, 41 visits have been made to France, 32 to Germany, 21 to Belgium, 11 to Switzerland, six to Austria, and five to the Netherlands. No president has yet visited Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or Monaco.
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