The First Time Trump Was Elected, We Left America. Do We Think Others Should Leave Now Too?

Not necessarily.

For the audio version of this article, read by one of the authors, go here.

---

We’re Americans, and in 2016, when Donald Trump was first elected president, the two of us decided to leave the country.

It’s true, we’d always planned to travel the world “eventually.” But we were also horrified that the country we thought we knew had elected someone who seemed so obviously unfit and corrupt. So Trump’s election was the catalyst that caused us to finally make the big leap.

And frankly, we now both think it was the best decision either of us has ever made.

I, Brent, can be a bit of a control freak, and leaving America gave me a sense of control — at a time when my country seemed decidedly out of control.

Traveling the world for eight years has also turned out to be among the best times in both our lives. Sometimes we wonder: If it hadn’t been for that election, would we have ever left? It would have been so easy to go on living our old lives of comfort and routine.

Leaving America has also given us a new perspective — about America and the rest of the world. Things aren’t necessarily better outside of America (although in some places, they absolutely are). Mostly, things are just different.

As for America, well, we now see that it’s big, crazy, and complicated, with plenty to hate and love.

Near Fethiye, Turkey.

We think the second election of Donald Trump will be an absolute disaster for America and the world — far worse than the first time around. We believe Trump is much angrier and darker than before, and his current movement is fueled by even more obvious bigotry.

We think Trump will try to censor his critics, punish his enemies, unravel the post-war world order, and embark on unprecedented corruption.

We don’t understand how so many conservatives can continue to insist that he won’t do all the things he has repeatedly said he’s going to do.

And unlike before, we don’t see any checks on him — or on the coterie of grifters, yes-men, and truly scary ideologues that now surround him.

Whatever problems America has, we don’t think Trump will solve any of them, exactly like before. And he’ll make other things much worse, also like before.

Maybe you think we’re being hysterical and ridiculous — or that we’re just plain wrong. That’s fine. America has been having this argument for eight years now, and your side won. We have no interest in hashing it out all over again.

But what will the two of us do now?

Ironically, because we were fairly confident Kamala Harris would win the election, we were in the process of writing two articles — pro and con — exploring the idea of eventually moving back to our old hometown of Seattle.

But the election didn’t go as expected, so we won’t be publishing those articles. We also won’t be returning permanently to America any time soon, and probably not ever.

We haven’t given up The Fight™ — although we’ll be doing our part from outside the country.

That said, as before, this newsletter will remain mostly non-political and devoted primarily to travel. Indeed, we may never discuss political issues on social media again.

I, Michael, weighed in on social media in the weeks before the election, and the vile blowback has left me reeling.

Some of the dozens of disgusting messages Michael received.

It truly feels to us like social media has fried everyone’s brains. So often it’s nothing but tribalism, ugliness, and bottomless outrage. And it’s very hard not to see that hatred eventually spilling out into the physical world.

If you’re an American considering leaving the country now, do we think you should do it?

That depends.

One on hand, yes, traveling the world has been an incredible experience for us — and, interestingly, it’s made us feel much more connected to our planet and its inhabitants. For a time, it even gave us real hope for the future.

But remember that perspective we mentioned earlier — what we’ve gleaned from our travels?

Leaving America can only do so much. For one thing, what happens in the United States dramatically affects the entire rest of the world — so much more than we realized before we left. America is so rich and powerful that it literally holds the world’s fate in its hands.

Also, whatever is happening in America — and the way we see it, it’s an undoing of classic liberalism and a reshaping of the world order — is not confined to America.

Maybe this isn’t Germany in 1933 or the fall of the Roman Empire, but the world’s geopolitical fault lines are shifting, and part of what’s scary about all this is that no one knows what will replace what currently exists.

In Mexico City.

This is the point in an essay where we would typically say something hopeful, but neither of us is feeling particularly optimistic right now.

That said, we continue to cherish our family and friends, including the new friends we’ve made all over the world.

We’re also going to keep exploring this amazing planet, and we continue to be touched and humbled that you, our readers, have chosen to join us on our journey. We will go on sharing the stories and insights of our travels for as long as you’re interested.

And if any Americans do decide to make the same choice we did? Drop us a line — we’ll help you any way we can.

Stay safe,

Brent and Michael

---

See Also:

The Worst Person in the World Led to the Best Decision of My Life

Should Trump Win, How Easy Is It For Americans to Move to Another Country?

How Much Did We Spend in 2023?

You Never Know You’re in a Golden Age Until After It’s Over

---

Brent Hartinger is a screenwriter and author. Check out my new newsletter about my books and movies at BrentHartinger.com.

Michael Jensen is a novelist and editor. Explore his new newsletter featuring his travel photographs at MichaelJensen.com.