Americans Speak Out on Celebrities Leaving the Country After Trump’s Victory: "Instead of Just..."

After Donald Trump secured a historic win in the 2024 elections, several people rooting for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, were disappointed. This included several A-list celebrities like Sophie Turner, America Ferrera, and Cher who had expressed their desire to leave the United States. However, Americans on the street had a message for these celebrities fleeing the country.

Daily Mail interviewed people in New York City and asked their opinions. "I mean, I don't like Trump," said one interviewee. "But if they [celebs] want to leave, f*** them. Let them leave." Meanwhile, a handful of people agreed that other countries could offer a more peaceful and healthy environment. However, they questioned: how does it help those who cannot afford to escape America?

"If they have power, privilege, money - maybe they should do something to help the community around them instead of just fleeing," said another resident. However, a third person drew attention to the pros of living in the US and argued- "Where can you get the things you get in the United States in any country? You can't get it. Especially for the freedom." 

Meanwhile, another NY resident acknowledged the troubled political condition in the States but contended that fleeing is not the solution. "I don't like that privileged people with mobility are just saying 'We're going to leave because the ship is sinking'." When a few of them were asked about their prospects of leaving the country amid Trump's second term, one of the New Yorkers replied, "No. Wherever you go, there will be the same problems over and over again." 

But these A-listers don't think alike. Following Trump's re-election bid, Hollywood's creme de la creme vocalized their dislike of him. For instance, 66-year-old Sharon Stone told the Daily Mail, "I am certainly considering a house in Italy," adding that this is her first time seeing "anyone running for office on a platform of hate and oppression." Meanwhile, Cher said in an interview with The Guardian in 2023, "I almost got an ulcer the last time. If he gets in, who knows? This time I will leave [the country]." 

Barbara Streisand, too, told host Stephen Colbert that she wouldn't be able to "live in this country if he [Trump] becomes president and would probably move to England."

But this idea of celebrities leaving the country isn't exclusive to Trump's divisive win. Doug Eldridge, the founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News, "Every four years, you hear the same recycled rhetoric from celebrities. It's become a running joke at this point. It's 'all talk, no walk.'" And rightly so, because in 2016, celebrities such as  Whoopi Goldberg, Miley Cyrus, and Amy Schumer claimed they would pack their bags and leave the US after Trump's victory.

However, now that Trump has won back the White House, Eldridge said the celebrities moving out should have "little to no impact" on their success, claiming that "Hollywood has always been a bastion of liberal ideology."