Trump, obama
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images Gage Skidmore/Flickr
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 10, 2025

‘The Jokes On Us’: Social Media Reacts To Obama And Trump Sharing A Knee At Jimmy Carter’s Funeral

Social media reacts to Obama and Trump’s surprisingly friendly interaction at President Jimmy Carter's funeral.

The funeral of the late President Jimmy Carter took place on Jan. 9, bringing together all five of the living presidents. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, two of the most recent presidents (excluding Joe Biden, who is currently serving), were seated next to each other. Trump took the opportunity to crack a few jokes to entertain Obama, and the exchange has the internet talking.

The two, who are often at odds politically, appeared friendly and cordial during the ceremony. With Michelle Obama unable to attend, Barack was seated next to Trump, who took the opportunity to engage in some lighthearted conversation with his political adversary.

While some applauded the 44th and 45th presidents for putting their political differences aside and playing nice at President Carter’s funeral, many others appeared to take issue.

“Trump and Obama conversing at Jimmy Carter’s funeral. Remember folks the oligarchy is one big club and you aren’t in it!” Proud Socialist tweeted with a video clip of the exchange.

https://twitter.com/ProudSocialist/status/1877389665709207712

“The joke is on us. It’s one big club and we ain’t in it. But let’s keep arguing over DEI and climate change,” one person wrote in response.

“Just two old friends getting a good laugh about us chumps arguing with each other, while they rob us blind. Nothing to see here,” added someone else.

Over on Instagram, users responded to Onsite’s repost of the exchange with one accusing the presidents of being a part “of the same agenda.”

“Y’all do realize none of these ppl hate one another and they’re all in agreement with everything one another does,” they wrote. “It’s the public that out their feelings where they don’t belong. They’re all part of the same agenda.”

Others claim Obama is just “playing the long game” as we prepare for another four-year Trump term.

“Listen there is a job to be done the next 4 years . This checkers not cheese … Obama knows how to keep the enemy close,” they wrote.

While social media speculated that the two presidents were being overly friendly, forensic lip reader Jeremy Freeman suggests that their smiles and laughter concealed deeper, more serious conversations, NY Post reported. Trump might’ve told Obama that they needed to “find a quiet place” later in the day to discuss a “matter of importance,” Freeman suggested.

While the exact details of their conversation remain unclear, Freeman’s translation suggests that Obama and Trump might have been discussing international agreements. At one point, Trump appeared to lean toward Obama and said, “I’ve pulled out of that. It’s the conditions. Can you imagine that?” Freeman claims

Obama laughed as Trump added, “and after, I will.”

“I can’t talk, we have to find a quiet place sometime. This is a matter of importance and we need to do this outside so that we can deal with it, certainly, today,” Trump said, as Obama nodded.

While it’s all speculative, one thing is clear: Obama and Trump can maintain a cordial relationship when the situation requires it.

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Take Our Lives Seriously’: Michelle Obama Implores Men To Vote For Harris

Mayor Karen Bass, LA, ICE agents, Latino, DHS
(Photo: Public Domain)
by Stacy Jackson

January 10, 2025

LA Mayor Karen Bass Faces Scrutiny For $17M Fire Department Budget Cut Despite An Existing $819M

Since Mayor Bass returned to LA, she has thanked the LAFD for their service and announced that the fires have been "fully contained."

The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) faced a $17.6 million budget cut after Mayor Karen Bass decided to pull back funds and prioritize the city’s homeless population. The 2025 budget is listed at $819.64 million on Open Budget for the city of LA.

The mayor’s decision has been met with criticism, amid the raging fires that spread throughout the city and erupted into extreme conditions on Jan. 8. BLACK ENTERPRISE previously covered that the dangerous fires have forced thousands of residents out of their homes as firefighters worked to contain the flames that were reported to continue through Jan. 9. The cut is reportedly the second-largest to come out of Bass’ 2024-25 fiscal budget, and according to The New York Post, Bass may have wanted to see a larger cut to the LAFD’s budget — by $23 million.

Rick Caruso, who formerly ran against Bass in the race for LA mayor, has called out his 2022 opponent for her absence from the city as flames swept through several LA neighborhoods. A drop in the water supply from fire hydrants in the area has caused difficulty as firefighters attempt to eliminate the deadly flames that Bass has taken to X on Jan. 9, to declare have been “fully contained.”

Critics have been coming for Bass, who was reportedly away in Ghana, to celebrate the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama, over 7,000 miles away from the blazing threat facing LA residents.

“It’s all about leadership management, that we’re seeing a failure of, and all these residents are paying the ultimate price for that.” The LA developer told Fox LA.

“I think you should start asking … Why don’t you call the mayor, who is out of the country, and ask her? Get an answer from her.”

Criticism toward the American politician heightened on X from users who condemned the mayor for her absence “WHILE HER CIRTY IS BURNING TO THE GROUND,” as America First Works president Ashley Hayek stated.

Fires were reported to have affected areas throughout the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, and Sylmar. “For someone to be in charge of my town … where were you?” asked one resident who was forced to evacuate.

As of Jan. 8, Bass returned to her Los Angeles city and met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency over the dangerous weather conditions on Jan. 7. Mayor Bass stated on X that residents should take precautions if they are returning to their homes, due to “high wind conditions” and “extreme fire danger” the city continues to face.

RELATED CONTENT: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Blasts Greg Abbott For Busing Migrants To City During Hurricane, ‘It Is Evil’

Waffle House
(Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
by Sharelle B. McNair

January 10, 2025

Waffles House Employees Accuse Owners Of Wage Theft Well In The Millions

How many more complaints until a change?

Servers from Waffle House locations across the country claim owners owe them $46.8 million per year after allegedly robbing them of earned wages, Fast Company reported. 

In a federal wage theft complaint, servers are telling their stories of experiencing what they claim as stolen wages during shifts. Melissa “Kat” Steach, who serves at a Marietta, Georgia, location, says her shifts come at odd hours. Steach works as a tipped cashier and server but also pitches in for untipped work, including mopping floors, cleaning toilets, and scrubbing pots and pans, prior to clocking out at 7 a.m. The complaint, filed by the Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW), alleges franchise owners save between $15.6 and $46.8 million a year with tipped employees performing untipped tasks without compensation.

The Service Employees International Union affiliate labels the untipped work as constituted wage theft, since federal law allows employers to pay tipped workers less than regular minimum wage.

Steach provided a breakdown of her wages, with a pay stub showing 64 hours of tipped work ranging between $5.07 to $5.27 an hour, plus tips. She estimates in a five-day week, she spent close to 15 hours working without tips. In Cobb County, where the server lives, data shows the living wage for a single-person household is $26.55 an hour. With her living in a motel, she says she barely has enough to cover the $315 weekly rent. To survive off her check, Steach says, “I don’t eat.” “Corporations can’t keep throwing us around because we make all this money for them,” she said. 

“And what are they really doing with it? They are not supporting their workers. They can’t keep screwing us around. We’re here. We’re worth it.”

Waffle House experienced the same robbery accusations in September 2024. Along with the Department of Labor (DOL), a complaint alleged the breakfast chain engages in “rampant wage theft, like performing non-tipped work for tipped wages” and violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s tip credit requirement by not paying their servers the federal $7.25 minimum wage. 

The complaint came just a few months after Waffle House CEO Joe Rogers III announced the company was increasing the base pay for close to 40,000 servers to $3 an hour from $2.92, according to CBS News. Since the food chain doesn’t staff dishwashers, kitchen helpers, or janitors, analysts say tipped workers are often exploited with wage theft. An analysis from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found workers who earn tipped wages are 2.3 times more likely to live in poverty than non-tipped workers. “Wage theft can happen to anyone. It’s any time a worker is not paid the money for the labor that they do,” Margaret Poydock, a senior policy analyst at EPI, said. 

Steach is pushing for a change as she requested being formally trained as a cook for better pay, but has been denied by managers claiming they don’t have time. The option she was given was to work more double shifts — resulting in performing more untipped work for tipped wages.

RELATED CONTENT: Latto Gifts Waffle House Employee Money After Her ‘Brokey’ Challenge Caused Termination

Ramel Lee Gives Nontraditional Investors Opportunity At Generational Wealth Through RDL Hotel Fund
by Mitti Hicks

January 10, 2025

Ramel Lee Gives Nontraditional Investors Opportunity At Generational Wealth Through RDL Hotel Fund

An accredited investor is a person or entity that meets specific requirements set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The financial criteria are stringent.

Black-owned investment company RD Lee Capital Partners has created a new initiative that gives nontraditional investors a shot at obtaining generational wealth in the hotel sector.

The company launched the RDL Hotel Fund I on Vesterr, ultimately giving people who are not accredited investors a chance they would not have otherwise.

“Once I became an accredited investor, a lot of investment opportunities came my way,” Founder and Managing Partner Ramel Lee tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“I started getting opportunities to invest in liquor barrels, Broadway shows, and big real estate projects.”

An accredited investor is a person or entity that meets the stringent financial criteria set by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

According to SEC guidelines, individuals must earn at least $200,000 in the last two years to become accredited. Couples need a combined income of at least $300,000 in the previous two years. Additionally, individuals must have a net worth of over $1 million. Accreditation has advantages. It allows companies raising capital to determine who is in their pool of potential investors. For investors, it determines whether they can invest in early-stage companies.

RD Lee Capital Partners Aims To Close The Wealth Gap

When you scratch the surface, one thing is clear for significant investment projects: you have to earn a certain amount of money for the opportunity to make more. Lee, who comes from a civil service background, doesn’t think this is fair.

“People in my background are making good money and had enough to invest [but] they still weren’t given the opportunity to get ahead,” he says.

After careful research, he found a way to open the door for people who want to invest but do not meet the SEC’s accredited requirements through its crowdfunding regulation. In 2024, RD Lee Capital Partners finalized a deal to be a part of the ownership group that owns the Staybridge Suites in Indianapolis and the Hampton Inn & Suites in Scottsburg, Indiana. The RDL Hotel Fund I initiative allows investors to capitalize on the rapidly growing U.S. hotel market. The fund focuses on the economy and extended-stay hotel sectors, which have demonstrated remarkable resilience through economic cycles, according to Lee.

What It Takes To Invest in RDL Hotel Fund I

Lee says RD Lee Capital Partners lowered the bar for people to invest. The minimum is $10,000 to get into the fund. For perspective, Lee says these funds would cost accredited investors anywhere between $25,000 and $50,000 minimum.

For nonaccredited investors, there are still SEC requirements to abide by. One in particular is that the investment can’t exceed 10% of your income. While most companies shy away from the crowdfunding regulation, Lee says opening up opportunities in the hotel sector is important to him.

“African Americans own less than 2% of all hotels in the U.S.,” he says. “While we’re big consumers, we have very little ownership into the asset class. That’s something I want to work on changing,”

He adds, “African Americans spend over $2 trillion consumer dollars. We have to start shifting our mindset from a consumer mindset to an investor mindset. That same $2 trillion can be used to invest and completely close the wealth gap, but we need these opportunities for all of us to be able to invest in.”

Information on RDL Hotel Fund I can be found on Vesterr. Lee tells Black Enterprise that he plans to take a hands-on approach with investors by taking them on an investment and operational journey.  

“We host webinars with the investors to discuss our thought process on acquiring assets [and] what we’re doing to add value to the assets,” says Lee.

“We bring them on not just the financial journey but also the operational journey. They’ll learn enough that if they decide to sponsor a deal on their own, they’ve been through the process already, and they’ll be able to do exactly what I’m doing.”

RELATED CONTENT: 8 Black-Owned Restaurants You Should Visit While In Toronto

Deion Sanders, NCAA, jewelry
(Photo: Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

January 9, 2025

Deion Sanders Credits Jackson State For Coaching Success

'Without Jackson State, there would be no Prime, trust me.'

The collegiate success that former NFL player Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has had as a football coach, he attributed to the first college that hired him as a head coach, Jackson State University.

According to Clarion Ledger, during a recent appearance on “Good Morning America,” the NFL Hall of Fame coach acknowledged the HBCU while speaking on the program on Wednesday, Jan. 8. “Good Morning America” host, DeMarco Morgan, who is a Jackson State alumnus, thanked Sanders for what he has done for the school, which recently won the Celebration Bowl in December.

Morgan told Sanders that he “looked out” for JSU when he accepted the job and brought them into the national spotlight while also winning games. Sanders responded to him by stating that because of Jackson State, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

“They looked out for me. Without Jackson State, there would be no Prime, trust me.”

Sanders became the 21st head football coach in Jackson State history when the school hired him in September 2020.

After leading Jackson State University to two straight SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) championships, Sanders was hired to bring his coaching prowess to the University of Colorado Boulder to prominence in 2022. When he left Jackson State for Colorado, he was rewarded by becoming the highest-paid coach in CU history. Three of his players who are leaving the team this year have a chance to be drafted into the NFL. His quarterback son, Sheduer, is projected to be the No. 1 quarterback picked in the draft, while two-way player Travis Hunter is anticipated to be a Top 5 pick, and his other son, Shilo, may be selected, although it’s unknown his expected falling in the draft.

Sanders is a member of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. He has won two Super Bowls while playing 14 seasons in the National Football League. Sanders also played Major League Baseball from 1989- 2001.

RELATED CONTENT: Travis Hunter Wins Heisman, Capping One-Of-A-Kind Season

Earl, Graves, Sr. BLACK ENTERPRISE, Pepsi, bottle, company, industry, magic Johnson, bob Johnson
Earl G. Graves Sr. attends the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Bridge Dedication Gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on November 19, 2008, in New York City. (Photo: Jemal Countess/WireImage)
by Selena Hill

January 9, 2025

Happy Birthday, Mr. G!: Remembering The Legacy Of Black Enterprise Founder Earl Graves, Sr.

Magic Johnson, Rev. Al Sharpton and a host of leaders and organizations remember Earl G. Graves, Sr., the founder of BLACK ENTERPRISE.

Originally Published Apr. 17, 2020

Earl G. Graves, Sr., is a pioneering publisher, business titan, and activist best known for creating BLACK ENTERPRISE, a multimedia company that has inspired generations of Black business leaders. Graves died at the age of 85 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Launched in 1970, BE was the first magazine dedicated to the advancement of African Americans through entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and career development.

“When my father started BE, his vision was creating a publication that would provide how-to information for African Americans to be successful in business as entrepreneurs,” said Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr., who became the CEO of the media company in 2006.

“My goal was to show them how to thrive professionally, economically and as proactive, empowered citizens,” Graves wrote in his 1997 best-selling book How to Succeed in Business Without Being White.

Because of his tenacious drive and resolve, he secured advertising with companies like PepsiCo and General Motors and the magazine became profitable by its ninth issue.

“He was well-dressed, his presentation was polished, he knew exactly what he wanted to say, and he was determined,” said his son in the video below.

Prior to launching the magazine, Graves served in the Army and worked as an assistant for Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. In addition to his work in media, Graves ran the Pepsi-Cola of Washington, D.C., one of the nation’s largest soft-drink distributors owned by African Americans, between 1990 and 1998. He also served on the boards of major corporations like American Airlines, Daimler Chrysler, and Rohm & Hass. Furthermore, he used his platform to promote racial justice and support the presidential bids of Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama.

Today, on Jan. 9, we honor Mr. Graves on what would have been his 90th birthday.

He leaves behind three sons and eight grandchildren. His wife, Barbara Kydd Graves, who he largely credited for his company’s success, died in 2012.

Following the announcement of his death, several celebrities, leaders, and civil rights organizations expressed their condolences, including Magic Johnson, the NAACP, and Bob Johnson, the founder of BET and founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies.

“It is with deep sadness that I say goodbye to my friend and mentor, Earl Graves, Sr,” wrote Bob Johnson in a statement. “Every Black entrepreneur and every Black corporate executive who reached the pinnacles of leadership in corporate America owe a salute and tribute to Earl. BE under his founding leadership was, and still is, our bible; and its stories of our achievement are, in chapter and verse, our religion. “

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 7, 2020

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) April 7, 2020

— Nat’l Urban League (@NatUrbanLeague)

https://twitter.com/NatUrbanLeague/status/1247547774234697730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

RELATED CONTENT: A Moment in Black History: Earl Graves Sr. and Magic Johnson Close $60M Deal to Create Largest Black Pepsi Franchise

Trey Songz, lawsuit, sexual assault
Photo by Lunchbox LP/Wikimedia Commons
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 9, 2025

Trey Songz Wants His $11M Assault Lawsuit Thrown Out Or Else It Will ‘Ruin’ Him

Trey Songz is asking a judge to toss out the $11 million default judgment his alleged battery victim won last November.

Trey Songz’s attempt to throw out a $11 million default judgment to his alleged battery victim is being met with opposition.

Newly obtained court documents reveal that the 40-year-old singer has requested the judgment be overturned in the battery lawsuit filed by Tyrelle Dunn, In Touch Weekly reported. However, Dunn, a Maryland Capitol police officer, is urging the court to reject the singer’s request to overturn the default judgment.

The judgment stems from Dunn’s lawsuit over an alleged encounter he had with Songz, real name Tremaine Neverson, when he went to save his wife from the singer’s hotel room at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in 2021. According to Dunn’s lawsuit, his wife went to the hotel room to meet the singer but was instead assaulted and prevented from keeping her phone.

“[Tyrelle’s] wife was escorted by Defendant security personnel to room 6014 where she was told she would meet Trey Songz,” the lawsuit read. “That while in room 6014, the plaintiff’s wife was assaulted, tried to leave, and had her phone taken away.”

Upon finding the hotel room to save his wife, Dunn was allegedly assaulted by Song’z security team and left with a fractured eye socket. However, no criminal charges were filed against the “Say Aah” singer.

In November 2024, a Las Vegas judge entered the default judgment in the lawsuit Songz claimed he didn’t learn about until the judge’s ruling.

“[Trey] did not know about this lawsuit until November 27, 2024, when he received Instagram messages from fans extending their support after news broke about Dunn’s default judgment,” Songz’s lawyers wrote in a motion.

“[Trey] promptly engaged civil defense counsel over the Thanksgiving holiday and filed this Motion to set aside the default judgment the next week.”

The singer denies Dunn’s allegations and is requesting a day in court to defend his honor from the “massive default judgment which was improperly obtained in an underlying case that [Trey] knew nothing about until a week prior to filing this Motion,” his lawyers stated.

“The enforcement of this default judgment will be devastating to [Trey] and will ruin his life,” they add.

Songz’s lawyers also note the investigation Las Vegas police conducted, which “found no wrongdoing by [Trey]” and led to him not facing criminal charges. The singer also claims he was never properly served Dunn’s lawsuit, but Dunn claims he was served the papers by a process server.

RELATED CONTENT: Trey Songz Settles With Woman In $25 Million Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Derrick Ward
photo credit: pexels
by Kandiss Edwards

January 9, 2025

Washington D.C. Reporter Derrick Ward Dies At 62

Ward has been a trusted voice in Washington D.C. for decades.

Washington D.C. news reporter Derrick Ward has died at 62, according to NBC4 Washington.

Ward passed away on Jan. 7 from complications related to cardiac arrest. He is survived by his three children: Derrick Jr., Ian, and Marisa. In a statement, the Ward family honored their patriarch, praising him as an inspiration and cherished community member.

“It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Derrick Ward Sr. on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, following complications from a recent cardiac arrest. Derrick has been an inspiration and cherished member of our family and his hometown community as a longtime reporter at News4 Washington and previously at WTOP Radio. As a distinguished journalist, Derrick’s storytelling, prolific writing, warmth, and humor touched countless lives. Our children and our entire family will miss him dearly.”

A native of Washington D.C., Ward graduated from the University of Maryland and began his reporting career in radio. He worked at WPFW, WAMU, and WTOP before moving to television news in Buffalo, New York. He returned to the Washington news market in 2006.

NBC4 Washington produced a moving tribute to Ward, celebrating his accomplishments as a newscaster. The clip included viewer messages, colleague testimonials, and career highlights.

For nearly 20 years, Ward was a trusted voice on the Washington beat, covering some of the nation’s most critical events, including the Iran-Contra hearings, the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon, and the Washington-area sniper shootings.

President of WTOP News, Joel Oxley, praised Ward’s character highly.

“Derrick Ward was truly an outstanding journalist. His passion and dedication are shown through every day. But what set him apart was what a great person he was. His warmth and caring were evident at every turn. Everybody liked Derrick. I saw why right away. He’ll be missed tremendously,” Oxley said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

RELATED CONTENT: Sportscaster Greg Gumbel Passes Away At 78

social media, employees, office, guidelines, policies, triller
(Photo: PeopleImages/Getty Images)
by Kandiss Edwards

January 9, 2025

Triller Steps Up Amid U.S. TikTok Ban Concerns

The app is targeting TikTok content creators and users, encouraging them to set up Triller accounts and download and save their content through its "SaveMyTikTok" campaign, according to TechCrunch.

The multimedia app Triller is making a push in response to the uncertainty surrounding a potential U.S. ban on TikTok. The app is targeting TikTok content creators and users, encouraging them to set up Triller accounts and download and save their content through its “SaveMyTikTok” campaign, according to TechCrunch.

The Jan. 19 ban on TikTok is now uncertain after President-elect Trump requested the Supreme Court put a hold on the law. In April 2024, President Biden signed the bill, which received unprecedented bipartisan support, into law.

Concerns about TikTok emerged due to its connection to Chinese parent company ByteDance. U.S. lawmakers believe the app poses a national security threat and compromises the safety of American citizens’ personal data. If ByteDance does not sell the app to an American-based company, it could face a ban in the U.S.

TikTok has become highly popular, with an estimated 100 million users in the U.S. According to Pew Research, the platform is used by all age groups, primarily for entertainment.

“59% of adults under 30 say they use the app, compared with 40% of Americans ages 30 to 49, 26% of those 50 to 64, and 10% of those 65 and older.”

TikTok allows users to gain followers and earn money through its ad revenue sharing, brand partnerships, and “Creator Rewards Program.” Users with 10,000 followers become eligible for payment based on engagement, a model similar to YouTube’s monetization program.

The potential ban of TikTok alarms many users who rely on the rewards program as a secondary income or, in some cases, their sole income.

Triller has not yet introduced a monetization plan for new users that rivals TikTok’s format.

While Triller claims a worldwide user base of 550 million, questions have been raised about these numbers.

“In its S-1 filing, the short-form video app reported 550 million lifetime sign-ups, but market intelligence firm Apptopia estimates Triller has been downloaded only 73.2 million times since its launch in 2015—87% lower than Triller’s reported figures,” TechCrunch reported.

The debate over the company’s financials isn’t the only issue Triller is facing. In December 2024, Digital Music News reported on a lawsuit filed against the company. Triller allegedly failed to repay a $35 million promissory note to Yorkville Advisors. During a merger, Triller, then called AGBA Group, was responsible for monthly repayments to Yorkville for the initial $8.1 million investment and a subsequent $25 million advance. According to filings, the companies renegotiated terms multiple times throughout 2024. Triller’s failure to make the required monthly payments has prompted Yorkville to seek full repayment.

RELATED CONTENT: Social Media Prankster Faces Felony Charges For Spraying Bug Spray On Food At Walmart

Pakistan,
(Photo: Spencer Davis/Pexels)
by Jameelah Mullen

January 9, 2025

The U.S. Falls To No. 9 In World’s Most Powerful Passport Index

In 2014, The United States shared the No.1 position with the United Kingdom.

Henley Global has released its 2025 Henley Passport Index, which ranks 199 passports worldwide using data from the International Air Transport Association. The United States ranked ninth, down from 7th last year. 

Some experts blame the decline on the current U.S. political climate. 

“Even before the advent of a second Trump presidency, American political trends had become notably inward-looking and isolationist,” Annie Pforzheimer, senior associate at Washington thinktank, The Center for Strategic and International Studies, said to Forbes. 

Dr. Tim Klatte, a partner in Grant Thornton China and an adjunct professor at Shanghai New York University, says that the Trump administration’s impending foreign policies will impact U.S. Passport rankings.

“The Trump-era trade wars will not only be viewed as bilateral disputes — they will serve as transformative events for the global economy. Disrupting trade flows, raising costs, and sowing uncertainty will require businesses, governments, and international institutions to adapt to a new reality. This strategy raises serious concerns about the fragmentation of the global economy and the potential for increased geopolitical tensions. Trump has not been shy about his foreign policy strategies, from Canada to China, and his direct approach will continue to present doubts in the confidence of the USA’s passport power moving forward,  Klatte told Henley and Partners.

American passport holders can access 186 out of 227 destinations visa-free, but the U.S. allows only 46 other nationalities visa-free access to its borders. This lack of mutual exchange places the U.S. in the 84th spot on the Henley Openness Index.

Along with the United States, several European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, dropped in ranking. Seven EU nations—Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden—share fourth place on the list. 

In contrast, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have consistently improved their rankings. The UAE is now ranked 10th on the list, offering visa-free access to 185 locations. China is 60th on the list, up from 94th in 2015. 

Singapore secured the No. 1 spot on the list, with visa-free access to 195 destinations for Singaporean passport holders. 

RELATED CONTENT: Nick Cannon Reflects On Lupus Journey, Calling Himself The ‘Black Tony Stark’

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