Flight patterns of the rich and shameless
Talk is louder than ever from celebrities who say they’re thinking about leaving the U.S. because of President Trump. Why that won't help. PLUS: A preview for a Substack Live Friday 4 PM ET.
The irony is almost too rich to ignore.
Celebrities who built their fortunes on American freedoms, who claim to champion the "least among us," are now securing citizenship in other countries because they're "scared" of what might happen under Donald Trump. They're handing him the perfect talking point while making more vulnerable the very people they claim to protect.
So far we’ve got quite the roll call: Ellen Degeneres, already off to the UK. Rosie O’Donnell long ago decamped to Ireland. Angelina Jolie who is considering “several destinations abroad." Mark Hammill, aka Luke Skywalker, admitted he was thinking about using the Force outside the U.S. Business Insider has a list of others here.
I’ll be honest, as I see the headlines slow and steady, that celebrities are thinking of their exit strategy I mostly think – fine, go on. But I saw Jimmy Kimmel tell podcast host Sarah Silverman he got Italian citizenship and I thought, you too? You married a Kansas grad. (You might remember I too am a KU grad).
For some reason the Kansas connection, where the Civil War once started, really frustrated me, it made it more real. As real as the friends of mine who have shared they’re quietly thinking about securing citizenship elsewhere, worried about what’s ahead.
Let me be clear: I'm not naive about the real risks we face. Right-leaning states are sending National Guard members to Washington, D.C., testing an already fragile situation. The mutual hostility between parties has created such deep distrust that we're inclined to believe the worst about each other and about the possibilities ahead. And if one thing goes wrong, one leader from either party gets assassinated, there’s already such deep distrust and resentment, it could be catastrophic.
My stance is different though: You can’t run. This feels true now more than ever, even in a week with maximum geopolitical risk and weirdness after President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit in Alaska, and subsequent meeting of European leaders at the White House.
If you care about our country, and want to influence the future, use your citizenship for good. How lucky you are to have the choice. The irony right now of celebrities taking for granted their citizenship, when so many have given everything to get here; many already gave up their family abroad, paid unknown tolls, and if undocumented, could face losing their children if deported.
If you have the money, power and a platform and you care about our country, now is not the time to shy away from the fight for others’ freedom.
The Hypocrisy Runs Both Ways
This celebrity exodus, or at least talk of it, is trendy with high-profile Democrats right now. Mark my words, though, if election winds swing another way it will soon be en vogue for wealthy Republicans too.
We're already seeing it in New York. Some wealthy residents have threatened to leave New York City if Zohran Mamdani, the self-described Democratic Socialist, is elected mayor. Donald Trump himself already fled New York years ago for Florida.
What happened to the honor of fighting for your values? Of being willing to get your hands dirty in defense of justice? Have we learned nothing from history?
America's short history includes heinous moments from the original stain of slavery to the imprisonment of Japanese Americans to torture after 9/11 and more. In every instance, it took true patriots standing up and fighting for change. Not running from it.
I’ve always loved the quote of Frederick Douglass: For he is the lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sin. Douglass, a man born into slavery, could have sought freedom elsewhere, he had many connections to do just that. Instead he stayed, and fought with allies for abolition at home.
The Real Work of Democracy Happens Here
Donald Trump has been happy to see celebrities flee.
Like he did with Rosie O'Donnell, he can use celebrity departures to fuel his attacks on coastal elites. O’Donnell’s departure isn’t going to hurt Trump.
I know what will, though: Talking to people we believe have absolutely nothing in common with us. I watched the early Obama campaign operation in Iowa build trust in unlikely places. I watched campaign organizers go into places that had been hotbeds of hatred, and win allies. It was through real in person engagement.
People often ask me why I’m so adamant that we’re better than this moment politically. It’s because I had the absolute privilege to see how much better we can be. To see President Obama travel across a country where his mother wouldn’t have been able to speak to his father in a different era, and to have unexpected people tell him he made a difference. America has so much heart, and so much soul. And we’re not better for belittling each other.
I also watched it after the 2020 election. After January 6, when I posted that we should be happy Donald Trump didn’t win, given what he did, I had people across the political spectrum respond and say they were sorry for voting for him. And then I saw left leaning friends jump into the comments and say heinous things back and forth. Who do they think they’re convincing? Have you ever been convinced of something while you’re being told you’re an idiot?
That’s just not how we build coalitions for lasting change.
Fighting for Values Means Staying in the Fight
The way to win the fight against Donald Trump, if you believe he threatens American values, is not to leave America. It's not to shun your neighbors.
It's to try to understand different positions and find where we can agree.
Whether the celebrities decide to look like hypocrites or not, some of us will be here fighting for the values they say they hold dear. One thing you can count on is that my residence will remain right here in the United States of America.
Real change comes from engaging across genuine ideological differences — not the performative kind, but substantive disagreements about how society should work.
It takes courage to deliberately seek out thoughtful people we disagree with, but that's where actual democratic discourse happens.
Join the Conversation
This Friday at 4 PM Eastern, I’m going to model exactly what I’m talking about: Conversation and maybe some disagreement. I’ve asked Richard Hanania — who has his own Substack https://www.richardhanania.com/ — to join me for a Substack Live.
We’ll be talking about his evolution on President Trump, his thoughts on freedom, “wokeness” and exploring where Americans might begin to find common ground again.
Because that's what Americans do: we stay, we fight, and we find a way forward together. I would be so grateful if you would join, and let me know your questions beforehand. Save this link for Friday. See you then.