An Australian musician, Keli Holiday, also known as one half of electronic duo Peking Duk, has been forced to abruptly end his North American tour after officials banned him from re-entering the United States. This incident has prompted an apology from his girlfriend, Abbie Chatfield, who had previously posted a critical online message about Donald Trump.
Holiday had already performed several shows in the United States when he traveled to Toronto, Canada. However, when he tried to return for a gig in New York last Friday, he was "detained" at the border "despite having the proper visa documentation," as he stated on social media.
In a separate incident, on Tuesday, Chatfield apologized for a post she made in July 2025 that was critical of Trump. She explained that Holiday was not aware of the post and that there was no clear reason given for his ban. Chatfield said that people were "conflating" her 2025 post with Holiday's current situation.
"A video that I posted a year ago has come back to haunt me, essentially," Chatfield said in a ten-minute video. She clarified that her old video had been misinterpreted and that she had not called for any political violence against Donald Trump.
The incident comes months after the United States proposed new rules for tourists, requiring foreign visitors to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry.
The BBC has reached out to Holiday's management for comment on this matter.
