Americans Who Left the US Over Trump Increasingly Consider Returning from Europe
Thousands of Americans moved to Europe around Donald Trump's second term, but some now regret it and plan to return. Such views often draw sharp backlash on social media.
Some Americans who have moved to Europe in recent years are now weighing a return to the United States, or have already gone back, WIRED reports. Many left to escape the political climate in the US after Donald Trump's return to the presidency, but life in their new countries has not matched their expectations.
Departures are rising
According to figures cited in the article, the number of US migrants doubled in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the previous year. Spain's National Statistics Institute recorded a record high number of American residents in 2026. The Financial Times reported a 63% rise in American applications to Ireland's Foreign Births Register between 2024 and 2025. The UK Home Office reported the highest number of residency applications from the US since records began in 2004. Digital nomad visas introduced after the pandemic in Spain, Greece and Portugal have also made moving easier.
Disillusionment
An American woman who goes by Annie moved with her husband to a town near London in 2024. She points to difficulties with maternity care from the National Health Service, lower disposable income and anti-American sentiment. The couple plan to return to the US next summer. Josh, who moved to Berlin in 2023, struggled to find work and dealt with bureaucracy; he returned to the US a few months ago. Journalist Sarah Wood González came back to New York after three years in Spain and Edinburgh, missing the faster American work pace. Nick, an art director living in Poland, feels trapped because he says politics there is not much better.
Online backlash
On Reddit, such stories often attract harsh criticism, with authors called privileged or right-wing. Influencer Kate Glavan, who moved from New York to London in late 2024, announced this year that she would return to New York after struggling to find work.
Europe is not a left-wing haven: several countries have right-leaning governments, and hard-right groups are gaining ground in Britain.
