Polygraph

The Trump administration has imposed a travel ban on 39 countries in its current term.

Posted by Bulwark Takes, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
5 support4 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
92%
Bulwark TakesAug 29, 2026
View on Podcast ↗
Video frame
34 claimsThe check →

The record consistently shows the second Trump administration's travel ban covers nationals of 39 countries, effective January 1, 2026, from a December 16, 2025 proclamation that expanded the June 2025 ban. The post's 75-country figure is a separate, additional set and does not change the 39-country claim, and the sources confirm the ban as of 2026-08-29.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… It's kind of doubling down. Like, so there's the, there's the new Muslim ban that everybody knows about, the Trump, ah, you know, in stating his first week in office in his first term, and then he, he doubled down, ah, in this term. That's 39 countries, but these 75 countries are largely in addition to that, and this is something that has not gotten a lot of attention, I think, because it happened kind of in this really boring State Department notice. It was while Minneapolis was on everybody's mind. …
Bulwark Takes · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. CRS (Library of Congress) reports a December 16, 2025 proclamation restricting entry by nationals of 39 countries plus PA-issued travel documents, effective January 1, 2026.[3]

Supports. Reuters reports that the administration expanded the number of countries under full or partial travel bans to cover 39 nations, citing Trump's post-incident pause on migration.[1]

Supports. AP reports the State Department cable treats the full and partial travel bans as applying to citizens of 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority.[2]

Supports. NPR and the New York Times both describe the travel ban as covering 39 countries, with the NYT noting it took effect in January 2026.[4][5]

Context. Some secondary sources give slightly different breakdowns (e.g., 19 full bans plus partial bans, and the Palestinian Authority listed separately), but all count the core ban at 39 countries.[6][7][8][9]

Context. Later developments: a federal court struck down USCIS policies affecting people from 39 countries in June 2026, and some visa issuance was ordered resumed in late August 2026; these do not change the ban's existence as of the claim date.[1][4]

Sources

9 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 2 tier 2, 4 not rated

  1. 1US judge strikes down Trump policies targeting immigrants ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
  2. 2US names major sporting events exempt from Trump visa ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
  3. 3Expanded “Travel Ban” to Take Effect January 1, 2026congress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
  4. 4Legal Immigration Fell Sharply Under Trump Policies Adopted ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
  5. 5Stuck in limbo: millions of professionals risk losing legal status under Trump pausenpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
  6. 6Visa and immigration policy: Country-specific bans on US entryaip.org · not rated · cited for: context
  7. 7Travel Ban Expanded and Revised, Effective January 1, 2026fragomen.com · not rated · cited for: context
  8. 8Which countries are affected by Trump's travel bans to the US?thedailystar.net · not rated · cited for: context
  9. 9www.bal.com · immigration-news · united-states-proclamationUnited States | Proclamation expands and revises travel...bal.com · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

How Polygraph checks a claim

Our Weekly Newsletter

The Readout

The week's most-shared posts, checked. What they claimed, how they argued, and what held up.

Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.