Trump's Trip To China, USAID Cutbacks And Is Going To The World Cup A Good Idea?

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday we look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science. Select your language

Generated with artificial intelligence. Listening: Trump's trip to China, USAID cutbacks – and is going to the World Cup a good idea? This content was published on May 20, 2026 - 17:00 9 minutes

I write articles on the Swiss Abroad and“Swiss Oddities” as well as weekly briefings and press reviews. I also translate, edit and sub-edit articles for the English department and do voiceover work for videos. Born in London, I have a degree in German/Linguistics and was a journalist at The Independent before moving to Bern in 2005. I speak all three official Swiss languages and enjoy travelling the country and practising them, above all in pubs, restaurants and gelaterias.

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Have you booked your flights/hotels/stadium seats for the 2026 football World Cup, which kicks off in about three weeks in the United States, Canada and Mexico? I'll be crossing my fingers for Switzerland, England and Scotland from the comfort of Bern, but if you are heading to the US, Swiss public broadcaster SRF has some dos and don'ts to minimise your chances of being turned away at the border.

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The 2026 men's football World Cup kicks off in North America in less than a month. Switzerland have qualified and are playing two of their three group games in California – but, as Swiss public broadcaster SRF wondered this week,“is travelling to the US a good idea at the moment?”

“According to the Swiss foreign ministry website, travel to the US is generally safe,” SRF reassured readers on Monday, noting that the foreign ministry warns of the risk of terrorist attacks when travelling in almost all countries, including the United States. It also explicitly urges people to exercise caution when attending sporting and cultural events in the US,“but, even upon request, the foreign ministry doesn't clarify what exactly is meant by 'exercising caution'”.

Running from June 11 to July 19, the World Cup will be held across North America, with matches taking place in the United States (11 cities), Mexico (three) and Canada (two).

SRF reminds fans that to enter the US as a tourist for up to 90 days, they don't need a visa but they do need an ESTA travel authorisation – although it warned that this wasn't a guaranteed entry ticket.“Since US President Donald Trump's second term in office, the popularity of travel to the US has declined. This is partly due to reports of people being denied entry despite having valid travel documents.”

Lorenz Wolffers, a lawyer in New York specialising in immigration law, told SRF that entry into the US almost always proceeds without problems.“Entry into the US for Swiss citizens with a valid passport and ESTA is, in the vast majority of cases, problem-free. However, difficulties arise if a person has a criminal record, whether in the US or in Switzerland.” Even minor offences such as speeding could lead to the ESTA being cancelled at short notice or entry being refused, he warned.

Problems can also arise if the authorities suspect that – despite entering as a tourist – a person intends to work in the US.“US immigration officials may question the purpose of the trip. If, based on the circumstances, it's suspected that someone will be working in the US, entry may be refused,” Wolffers said.

To this end, he explained that officials could also use information from a traveller's mobile phone or laptop.“Anyone who regularly logs into their Swiss employer's system while in the US is already operating in a grey area.”

Switzerland's three group matches are against Qatar (June 13, Santa Clara, California), Bosnia and Herzegovina (June 18, Inglewood, California), and Canada (June 24, Vancouver).

What to know when travelling to the USExternal link – SRF (German)

Foreign ministry travel advice for the USExternal link (German, French, Italian)

Decline in travel to United States set to continue – Swissinfo, February 2026

On Friday US President Donald Trump returned from a high-stakes summit in Beijing where topics included trade and tariffs.“ He would have been better off staying at home” was the verdict of one Swiss newspaper.

Last Tuesday, the day before Trump headed to Beijing for two days of talks with his Chinese counterpart, the Tages-Anzeiger already had a bad feeling.“Xi Jinping has actually already won” was the title of its editorial. This was because“China's strategy is focused on technology and self-reliance, while the US under Trump operates with an unclear direction”.

The Zurich paper pointed out that the Chinese economy grew by 5% in the first quarter.“This is not a country that would be forced to make major concessions to Washington,” it said.“China won't have to give Trump much – just something he can sell domestically as a big win.”

So what happened?“Two very different tones emerged after the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping,” the Tribune de Genève wrote on Saturday.“Donald Trump sounded triumphant, proclaiming to anyone who would listen that he had negotiated deals for Boeing planes and that he enjoys the support of 'his Chinese friend' regarding the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Xi Jinping said little, or almost nothing. Yet the subtle mention of a risk of 'conflict' arising from any disagreement over Taiwan has silenced the media fanfare of the American president.”

The Tribune de Genève concluded that whatever the US leader thinks or says,“Donald Trump is leaving China a loser. Enjoying a privileged passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Beijing is watching its adversary get bogged down in it”.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) was equally unimpressed on Monday in its editorial titled“He would have been better off staying at home”. Trump, it said, had“undermined the United States' unique advantages: its alliances, its soft power and its institutional superiority.”

Trump's alienation of loyal allies with his tariff policy and“imperial ambitions” in Canada and Greenland played right into China's hands, the newspaper wrote.“To avoid being completely at the mercy of American caprice, US allies are seeking to strengthen their relations with China on their own initiative. [...] The weakening of American alliances goes hand in hand with a dramatic loss of American soft power. In European countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany, the US is perceived as a greater threat than China,” it said.

“The summit in Beijing shows just how ineffective Trump's policies have been so far,” the NZZ concluded.“The Iran crisis makes it clear that China is not a friend, but a self-assured rival of the US which is increasingly gaining the upper hand over Washington. The American president cannot resolve this problem with praise and grandiose summits. He needs a strategy and strong alliances. To achieve this, Trump doesn't need to travel to Beijing but rather to the capitals of America's most loyal allies.”

Tages-Anzeiger editorialExternal link (German, paywall)

Tribune de Genève editorialExternal link (French, paywall)

NZZ editorialExternal link (German, paywall)

In January 2025 the US government massively cut its development aid. Swiss public broadcaster SRF now explains how, in Africa, where there's a lack of aid, violence is on the rise.

“Outbreaks of violence, looting, assaults and fighting between armed gangs are on the rise – in places where the US government abruptly cut back its development aid in Africa at the beginning of 2025” – these, SRF reported on Friday, are the findings of a study by Dominic Rohner, an economist at the University of Lausanne.

Rohner said cutting aid entails risks that go far beyond closed medical clinics, schools or unfinished roads.“People whose prospects are poor are more likely to resort to violence,” he told SRF.“Those who have a good life and a lot to lose are less likely to do so.”

SRF said the fatal aspect of the US's decision is probably that aid was withdrawn abruptly and without warning. Promises were broken; there was no slow phasing out.“The countries affected had hardly any opportunity to make up for what was missing,” it said.

However, Rohner doesn't want to take a pessimistic view.“We know pretty well what has a positive effect: school education, good healthcare and fair trade help to prevent violence.” The recipes are clear, he said.

After the end of USAIDExternal link – SRF report (German)

How the United States used humanitarian aid for influence – Swissinfo, May 2025

The next edition of 'Swiss views of US news' will be published on Wednesday, May 27. See you then!

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