Europeans have always emigrated to America. But what if the flow reversed? The number of Americans saying they want to leave the US jumped from 10 per cent in 2011 to a record 21 per cent by last year, report the pollsters Gallup — and that was before Donald Trump unleashed his dual assault on American wealth and freedom.
I live emotionally between the two continents. As a British student in the US in the early 1990s, I thought it was the greatest country on Earth. I acquired an American wife and kids, but we ended up in Paris. Over decades of transatlantic visits, I’ve tracked the lives of American friends and relatives. I now feel that even somehow setting aside the mammoth issues of Trump and freedom, most Europeans live better than most Americans.
There’s one big exception: the mega-rich. If you’re among the wealthy Americans awaiting another tax cut from Congress, then congratulations: the Trump administration is at least trying to run the country for your benefit. You’re unlikely to get that from European governments. Similarly, most Americans in tech or finance will find undynamic Europe frustrating.