"I’m moving to Jupiter," promised actress and singer Cher in a tweet.
The return of Donald Trump to the presidency has prompted many Americans to seek a life outside their home country. In a recent survey, 21% of citizens considered leaving, a figure that soon escalated to 26% as the president imposed his rhetoric —perceived as disregarding the law— with the encouragement of interests that continue to increase their wealth at the expense of thousands of lives and the destruction of property.
"I'm moving to Jupiter," promised actress and singer Cher in a tweet.
In addition to the hundreds of thousands of individuals, documented or otherwise, who are expelled daily from the United States, there is a large number of American citizens leaving or preparing to leave the wealthiest and most militarily powerful nation on the planet —the home of the "American Way of Life"— considering the governance Donald Trump is establishing as an unbearable dictatorship.
This is not a new phenomenon; during the first term of the figure currently serving as the President of the United States, thousands of members of minorities and highly qualified professionals had already left, even before there was a tenth of the dictatorial projection occurring now in what is propagandized as the world's greatest democracy.
Members of the anti-Cuban legislative factions in Florida have praised this exodus, considering that it decreases the number of votes against Republicans, who see their control of the chambers threatened in the upcoming midterm elections this November.
It is worth recalling that as soon as he returned to power, Donald Trump proclaimed the objective of his new mandate: to create a "proud, prosperous, and free nation." The era of a "Great" United States was back, the Republican promised. After four years of a Democratic government that, in his words, had allowed the entry of "dangerous criminals from all over the world," the new administration committed to reinforcing border control and reducing the number of immigrants. The country that for centuries had been a home for thousands of people from around the world would now focus on its own citizens.
However, Trump's return also encouraged many Americans to seek a life abroad. Google searches for "moving to Canada" and similar inquiries regarding Australia and New Zealand skyrocketed. Far from being isolated cases, these trends show that an American exodus is a tangible reality.
The Canadian government website dedicated to immigration collapsed due to a "significant increase in traffic volume," according to official sources. Of the total visits, 50% came from U.S. citizens. Furthermore, celebrities like Cher or Miley Cyrus promised to leave the country, although they ultimately did not.
No to Dictatorship
"I don’t want to be a citizen of a dictatorship. I think a lot of people think the litmus test for the American system will come in the next presidential election, and I think they’re wrong. We’ll see if this government is willing to yield power democratically this November (in the midterm elections). I have serious doubts that they are going to yield power," said Joseph, a 36-year-old American living in Norway, to the British newspaper The Guardian.
Like Joseph, more and more Americans do not want to live in the United States and are leaving in record numbers, settling with their families in countries they consider more affordable and secure.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States has not collected exhaustive statistics on the number of citizens emigrating since the Eisenhower administration. However, data on residency permits, foreign home purchases, student enrollments, and other indicators from more than 50 countries show that Americans are emigrating on an unprecedented scale. Millions are studying, working remotely, and retiring abroad.
In Lisbon, so many Americans are buying apartments that newcomers complain they almost always hear their own language, not Portuguese. Meanwhile, one in 15 residents of Dublin's modern Grand Canal Dock district was born in the United States, a percentage higher than that of Irish-born Americans during the 19th-century migration wave following the Great Potato Famine. According to the BBC, the latest figures show that the number nearly doubled, rising from 4,900 to about 9,600 between 2024 and 2025.
In Bali, Colombia, and Thailand, the difficulties of accommodating American remote workers earning in dollars have prompted residents to protest against the wave of gentrification. Additionally, more than 100,000 young students are enrolling abroad to obtain more affordable university degrees. In nursing homes proliferating across the border in Mexico, older Americans seek low-cost care.
On the other hand, the waiting list to renounce American citizenship at the London consulate exceeds 14 months. The situation is similar in Sydney and most major Canadian cities. Many European cities currently have waiting lists of six months.
The Same Problems
A record number of U.S. citizens are choosing to leave the country, citing many of the same issues: political instability, violence, and the high cost of healthcare. A Gallup poll conducted in November revealed that 40% of American women between the ages of 18 and 44 said they would move to another country if they had the chance.
New census figures also show that the United States experienced a sharp decline in population growth over the past year. This decrease was partly due to the drastic drop in the number of immigrants arriving and the number of Americans leaving.
Some analysts have dubbed this wave of American emigrants the "Donald Trump Wave," given the sharp increase in their numbers during his second term. According to calculations by the Brookings Institution, the United States recorded negative net migration—an estimated loss of about 150,000 people—in 2025, and emigration is likely to increase in 2026.
An analysis by The Wall Street Journal of 15 countries that provided full or partial data for 2025 showed that at least 180,000 Americans joined them, a figure that will likely be much higher when other countries publish complete statistics. The newspaper indicated that there is no single data set that accurately records the number between 4 and 9 million Americans already living outside the United States. (CubaSí)
