Americans Who Want Out – The Atlantic

Every four years, some liberal Americans threaten to leave the country if a Republican wins the presidency. Canada it has become almost a joke – or perhaps a fantasy – in certain leftist circles, not just a country, but an escape hatch, a future life that awaits if the election goes the “wrong” way. But some liberals insist they’re not kidding this time: They’re very scared and very ready to walk away if Donald Trump is reelected.

We spoke to Americans from different backgrounds and communities about their plans to emigrate if Trump wins. Some are worried about their physical well-being, others about the future of same-sex marriage, and still others are worried about the possibility of widespread violence as a result of his victory or even defeat. How many Americans are seriously considering leaving is unknown, but a New York Times notice to readers over the summer generated about 5,000 responses from across the political spectrum, including people who had already moved and others who planned to. Whatever the true number, the plans of these Americans are testament to the unusually tumultuous and threatening times in which the country now finds itself. Emigration is not easy, and many would lose both hard and soft benefits—Medicaid, jobs, friends, familiarity—by leaving. But even so, their fear is great enough to seriously consider it.

I am a refugee. I came to this country from Afghanistan in 2021. There, women lost all their basic rights, including the right to education. There is no more freedom of speech. The economic system has collapsed. Everyday life is permeated by an atmosphere of fear. Trump is a different kind of threat – an obviously lesser threat than the Taliban, I would argue. But I still empathize with potential emigrants. I fully understand the need to leave a place that no longer feels safe, and I think their concerns are real.

Mira Kamdar: Why I’m Glad I Left America

Pamela Reading-Smith, a Democratic activist from South Carolina, told me she thinks most Americans underestimate what’s at stake in this election. “He’s going to turn this country into an authoritarian country,” she said of Trump. She fears that if he comes to power, violence will follow and he will “repress the media”, including this publication. “Once we lose the media,” she said, “who are the people of the country? I’m nobody, because I don’t know what’s going on.” If Trump wins, she plans to move to Spain, where her son and his wife live.

Many of those I spoke to told me they feared political violence. Cynthia, also from South Carolina, said, “My perspective is that it encouraged people to take over the Capitol. If Trump were to lose, I would be concerned about much more widespread violence.” She and her husband are considering moving to the suburbs of Vancouver, Canada, starting on six-month visas. They will remain in the Pacific Northwest of the United States during the election and make the final move from there. Tony Proscio, a 70-year-old from New York, told me that a second Trump presidency is one reason he and his husband may soon move to London, where they have visited many times and they have a good number of friends. “When you’re two men married to each other, it’s not hard to imagine how things could go wrong for you,” Tony told me over the phone during a recent trip to London to meet with real estate agents. He said he was very worried if Obergefell v. Hodgesdecision that legalized same-sex marriage may survive a future Supreme Court if Trump makes even more appointments.

Margaret, 83, a retired Floridian, said if Trump wins, she will leave the country as soon as she can. Like Pamela, she is thinking of Spain. “I don’t trust him. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing,” Margaret told me. “I just find the man’s behavior, his attitude towards women, shocking.” (Both Cynthia and Margaret asked me not to use their last names because they live in deeply conservative areas and their views are unpopular.)

Kim Lawson, 63, of Newnan, Ga., is also considering leaving if Trump wins. “He’s a very fluid liar and I don’t share his values; it is demeaning and derogatory to people. And I don’t want to listen to it for another four years,” she said. She and a group of her single friends are looking into Spain or Mexico for possible relocation. Lawson cited Project 2025 as evidence of the changes Trump could make to the country. “I don’t want to be a part of it,” she told me.

Of course, many people who want or even plan to leave will not do so in the end. Moving to another country, obtaining residency and building a new life is difficult, especially for those who do not speak the local language. And moving can be politically and morally complicated; some may decide they want to stay and fight Trump’s policies by working to elect Democrats in another election. “I personally can’t imagine giving up my country unless my family were starving (or) under the threat of death,” Cynthia Lowe, a Democrat from South Carolina, told me, though she said that he understands why other people who have been personally threatened by Trump’s policies, such as immigrants, would be quicker to leave.

Most of the people we interviewed for this story are past retirement age; have sufficient financial resources to consider moving abroad. Many younger citizens may not be able to do this and may have additional challenges—building a career as an immigrant, the difficulties of living away from family—to consider.

From my perspective as a refugee TO America, there is something surprising about all of this. For those outside the US, it can be hard to truly see its challenges, to understand the intensity with which people living here fear for their country. This is a liberal nation. But for the people I spoke to, there won’t be a place to call home if Trump returns to power. You can’t realize what’s going on in America until you start living in America.