Opinion: Post-election dreams of moving to Europe may be rose-tinted

The Los Angeles skyline (left), Eiffel Tower (middle) and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London (right) are pictured. (Daily Bruin file photos)
By Micah Hoffman
Jan. 26, 2025 4:06 p.m.
This post was updated Jan. 27 at 12:55 p.m.
Young Americans disillusioned with the American Dream are increasingly turning to an alternative: moving to a European Union country.
As President Donald Trump signed executive orders this week withdrawing from climate change initiatives, revoking equal employment policies and enacting mass deportations, college students are voicing concerns about whether life in America aligns with their values and post-graduation plans.
During the week of the 2024 presidential election, domestic Google searches for “EU citizenship” and “EU passport” reached historic highs. Inquiries about citizenship in Portugal, Germany and Italy also spiked.
Fueled by political dissatisfaction, individuals around the country are considering emigration. In online communities like Reddit’s r/IWantOut, thousands of users exchange information on visa and citizenship processes.
One post described a University of California graduate seeking employment opportunities in Germany or the Netherlands due to a hiring freeze in San Francisco tied to the cutting of federal spending by the new administration.
In the United Kingdom, immigration lawyers have reported an influx of left-leaning Americans seeking to escape President Trump’s socially conservative policies.
At UCLA, some students are already considering moving abroad after graduation. Skylar Regan, a second-year European language and transcultural studies and human biology and society student, expressed that moving abroad became a more serious plan after the election.
“Now, I feel like it’s more of, ‘OK, is there an actual way I could move to France and work there?’” she said. “It was a consideration before, but then afterwards, it became more of a real, ‘How? What are the logistics? What’s the process?’”
Policies the Trump administration opposes in the United States – such as the Affordable Care Act, climate change action and gun control – make the EU’s progressive approach appealing.
Many EU countries, such as France, Germany and Sweden, have universal health care systems. The European Green Deal policy plans to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent. The Firearms Directive implemented strict orders on purchasing and using guns, including a ban on some semiautomatic firearms.
For young, left-leaning Americans, these policies can appeal to their values. Personal freedoms aren’t exclusively invested in owning a gun, but in knowing the government is acting in your best interest.
“It’s an expression of freedom, I think, at a time when there’s a lot of fear and a lot of anxiety,” said Dominic Thomas, a professor in the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies.
It is very possible that American workers would be met with open arms. In a press conference this week, the European Central Bank president encouraged officials from around the continent to welcome workers from the U.S. disillusioned by President Trump’s election.
However, students seeking stability in the EU may be misguided.
Western Europe is as much at risk of rightward political shifts as America. Parties like Germany’s Alternative for Germany and France’s National Rally boast strong anti-immigration stances and far-right policies.
“Europe has a long-standing relationship with fascist parties, with far-right parties and so on,” Thomas said. “Yes, it is a concern in many areas, and it’s a great concern in terms of the influence that the Trump presidency can potentially have on far-right parties.”
Chris Tilly, professor of urban planning and sociology, noted that unemployment rates in Europe aren’t faring much better than in the U.S.
“There may be a certain amount of wishful thinking in thinking that, ‘Well, if I go to Europe, I’ll have more opportunities,’” Tilly said.
Even the relatively progressive policies that are attracting young Americans to the other side of the Atlantic may not be as safe as many assume, he added.
“You can’t necessarily escape some of the cultural and political issues that bedevil us in the United States by going to Europe, because they may be coming to Europe soon,” Tilly said.
Online, Europe is portrayed as a monolithic amusement park. Trends like the Euro Summer aesthetic have glamorized a simpler, more leisurely lifestyle abroad. Users on platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest haphazardly throw together images of delectable fruit bowls and sparkling Mediterranean beaches, appealing to a “doomscrolling” generation disillusioned by U.S. culture.
These posts can warp practical considerations of moving abroad. The glamor of the Euro Summer aesthetic overlooks the burdensome reality of traveling abroad and reduces an entire continent to a curated, idyllic fantasy.
While the idea of moving to the EU may seem like an appealing escape, it is not a permanent solution to the issues we are facing and it does not help mitigate the ripple effect the Trump administration will have on other far-right parties.
Deep-rooted political problems have reshaped the American Dream, but now is not the time to jump ship. If large numbers of young people emigrate, we are losing the potential to build a counterculture against Trumpism.
“We do have serious economic problems in this country,” Tilly said. “But they’re not going to be resolved unless the people who are experiencing those problems actually put their shoulders to the wheel.”
For now, the draw of moving abroad is strong – but so are the consequences of leaving.