Presidents Abroad: Foreign Speeches

Abstract

Sitting presidents traveling to foreign countries only began in the twentieth century. O’Brien looks at these foreign trips and explores their impact on the way we view modern administrations. Presidents overwhelmingly visit European countries, though they have increased their presence in Asia over the last couple of decades. She examines these speeches using Freedom House scores as way to help determine if presidents prefer certain places. As a general rule, first-term administrations are far more likely to go to free countries over ones that are not free. While second-term administrations may still trend toward free ones, they seem to be more willing to go to not free locations more often. It suggests foreign travel and electoral fates may be somewhat interlinked together.