Why Are Americans Leaving the US?

The US saw net negative migration in 2025, meaning that more people moved out of the country than immigrated into it. 

Deportations: The Independent (Lean Left bias) noted that "while liberals might be tempted to blame the departures on President Donald Trump and his aggressive mass deportation program," government records show only 675,000 deportations and 2.2 million self-removals by immigrants. Immigrants coming into the country totaled about 2.7 million, and "almost all of the European Union's 27 member states now have a record number of U.S. citizens living and working there," according to The Daily Beast (Left).

The 'Donald Dash': Wall Street Journal (Center) highlighted some commentators' use of the term "Donald Dash" to refer to Americans who are leaving the US due to their disapproval of Trump. However, the Journal noted that these numbers have been rising for years before Trump took office for the second time.

Rise of Remote Work: The Journal and The Independent cited some American "ex-pats" who spoke of the rising expenses in the US compared to what they describe as a lower quality of life. "The wages are higher in the U.S., but the quality of life is higher in Europe," said a 41-year-old American living in Berlin, Germany, to The Journal.

Domestic Migration: Though outlets on the right rarely covered the reports on Americans leaving the US, New York Post (Lean Right) and Daily Caller (Right) both highlighted the number of Americans leaving blue states in favor of red states. Daily Caller reported that the company Public Storage is relocating to Texas from California, where it was founded. The Post reported that Massachusetts, described as "a bastion of progressive politics and high taxes," lost a net 182,000 residents to other states.

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