With a growing number of Americans considering leaving the country after Donald Trump’s election as president, one young woman has warned fleeing for politics isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
Google searches on on ‘how to move to countries’ massively increased after Trump’s win, with relocation firms saying 80 per cent of people want to move specifically for political reasons.
Celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Cher and Sharon Stone and Barbie star America Ferrera all said they’d leave if Trump won.
An insider told DailyMail.com that Ferrera is ‘sick’ that Trump was re-elected and will be moving to the UK in search of the ‘best opportunities’ for her children.
On Thursday, it was confirmed Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi had moved to the Cotswolds, in southeast England.
Yet after Trump’s landslide election win, Katy Nightingale, a 30-something who describes herself as an ‘anxious millennial’ and ‘eco-socialist’, warned Americans to reconsider making such a big commitment.
‘Want to leave the US cause it’s a dumpster fire? I thought I’d share my experience and some thoughts,’ the artist, activist and health care professional said
Nightingale, writing a piece on her Substack titled ‘I tried to quit the US’, said she left specifically because of the politics in the US in April 2023, spending a year in New Zealand.
She has also spent time in the Middle East after growing up in Chicago and Michigan.
On arriving in New Zealand, her first hurdle came with the challenging bureaucracy around immigration and working, and having to constantly update her visa to keep working.
She also found it a lonely experience trying to make friends in a new country with a different culture ‘in your early 30s.’
‘New Zealand is considered one of the more accessible countries for Americans with no heritage-based citizenship options, but that doesn’t make the process easy,’ Nightingale said.
Nightingale also addressed fears of those leaving because they were concerned about what a Trump presidency meant for issues of race, gender, children’s education and reproductive rights.
Nightingale said there is no such thing as a utopia and people fleeing would be leaving others behind to deal with those things,
‘Leaving is not a protest. Sometimes quitting is necessary for self-preservation, but let’s not get it confused with creating any kind of positive difference on the place you’re leaving,’ she said.
Nightingale said rather than ‘abandoning’ their communities, they should try help them.
‘For those of us that want to dismantle unjust systems, we need to think critically about whether we leave or stay.
‘Departing creates a void that will eagerly be filled by those who aim to advance fascism and oppression. With fewer people engaging locally, certain voices will grow louder.
‘Even if you plan to stay engaged and vote from abroad, you will never be as involved as you can be while living there. In my years of being abroad, I’ve followed US news closely, voted, signed petitions, and shared on social media, but I’ve found that the lack of proximity keeps me from doing much more than that.’
She advised it would make more of an impact for people who have the means to leave the country to stay and use their resources to help others.
‘While I struggled with my decision to stay or to leave, a friend of mine patiently reminded me how much privilege I benefit from in the US,’ said Nightingale.
‘Being an educated, able-bodied, cis, white person with a large social network means that I will almost always have access to a myriad of resources. How much would the policies I fear actually impact me, compared to those who can’t leave?’
Ordinary Americans told DailyMail.com their opinions on the matter, noting how there are most likely other countries that offer a more peaceful living environment, while also simultaneously questioning what would change for those with more influence.
‘If they have power, privilege and money, maybe they should do something to help the community around them instead of just fleeing,’ said one person.
‘I understand when people want to leave, because it’s crazy out here. But I don’t like that privileged people with mobility are just willy nilly saying ‘we’re going to leave because the ship is sinking,” another said.
Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris had a who’s who of Hollywood endorsing her, with stars such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen and Howard Stern backing her campaign.