Meet the Americans moving to London to flee President Trump 2.0

Erin Lytwyn and her husband, Daniel Walker-Murray, had planned to leave London and move back to the United States after welcoming their daughter, Charlotte, 10 months ago. “We were approved in the US to buy a house and get a mortgage,” she says.

But when Donald Trump was re-elected in November last year the couple, who are 36 and 34, changed their minds and bought a house in Camden instead.

“Trump started making several scary moves, like the people he’s appointed, and it made us think about what was important for us,” says Lytwyn, who works in cloud sales for Google and has lived in London for just over two years.

She finds Trump’s policies on deportation and immigration particularly objectionable. “Daniel is from Colorado, which has a deeply rooted relationship with Mexico and El Salvador,” she says.

“Trump is saying he’s going to deport millions of people on his first day in office — it’s hard living in a country where people have lived for 30 years and might be removed.”

While Lytwyn knows immigration is an issue in the UK, she says “there’s not the same level of racism. It’s a more balanced and equal culture”.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi moved to the Cotswolds last year

FilmMagic

The data backs up this shift across the Atlantic. Google searches in the US for “moving abroad” and “how to emigrate” hit record highs last year, while the UK-based Immigration Advice Service reported a 500 per cent surge in US traffic to its website.

In a recent study of 1,000 US citizens, it also found that 25 per cent were considering relocating abroad, with interest particularly high amongst those living on the more-liberal east and west coasts.

Forty-seven per cent of Los Angeles residents and 35 per cent of New Yorkers were considering an international move. Twenty-nine per cent cited Canada as their preferred destination and the UK came in second place, at 19 per cent.

‘All the Americans I know here are grateful’

Lytwyn has a twin sister in Los Angeles. Following Trump’s victory she immediately started looking into visas, schools and places to live in London. She has now been evacuated from her home because of the wildfires. “I’ve told her to just come here,” Lytwyn says.

“Daniel also has a cousin who went on a trip to New Zealand and started looking into visas there after Trump got in. Apparently, the NZ visa website crashed as the traffic to it was so high.”

Beyond politics, Lytwyn has found other benefits to living in London. “We have a different way of life here — we’re constantly walking, and our baby has been to 10 different countries. We went to Spain at Christmas — it’s just three hours from our house — and last year we went to Cyprus.”

She also appreciates the healthcare system here and how easy it is to get organic food compared with in the US. Being from Connecticut, she says the grey winters don’t bother her. “All the Americans I know here feel grateful we’re here already; we feel like we don’t have to get up and move,” she says.

Many Americans are doing just that though. US traffic to Knight Frank’s UK property website in November last year was five times higher than the same month the previous year. It peaked on November 5, the day of the election, when traffic was 20 per cent higher than on any other single day in 2024.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there are currently about 71,000 Americans living in London, out of a total population of 8.8 million, and that number looks likely to increase.

‘We will move from the USA to the UK to escape Donald Trump’s America’

Ellie Coverdale is planning a move to London this year

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Ellie Coverdale and her husband Michael live in Seattle and are planning a move to London in the spring.

“Trump’s presidency only made me more wary of where the US is going and whether it’s my way or not,” says Coverdale, 42. “Political language feels so divided and radical that it is increasingly difficult to imagine a future there.”

She cites Trump’s position on climate change and environmental regulation as a factor fuelling her decision to move.

“I questioned what the US had in mind in the long run, and whether the US leadership reflected my own principles of sustainability and responsibility to the rest of the world,” she says. “The immigration policies also often felt divisive and exclusionary.”

As well as London’s history, museums, theatres and markets, part of the city’s attraction is its multi-culturalism. “London feels like a place where people from all walks of life come together and create an environment that is both dynamic and inspiring,” she says.

Coverdale is an entertainment writer at UKWritings.com and most of her work is done remotely, while her husband, who is 46, works in finance, with a specialism in risk management. “He’s recently found a new office job in London, and it’s made life much easier for us,” she says.

The couple are in the process of organising visas and have been looking at properties in Richmond, Hampstead and Greenwich. “The UK’s more liberal political climate is part of the appeal — it is more in line with our core beliefs and values, it promises the stability and openness that we’re looking for when we do this move.”

Demand from US buyers has accelerated

Among those benefiting from a so-called “Donald Dash” are London’s buying agents. In the US system, both buyer and seller engage an agent or broker. So, unlike here, most Americans don’t act independently when buying a property.

“Demand from US buyers has been building steadily during the past 12 to 24 months but it’s definitely accelerated since the US election,” says Jo Eccles, founder of prime central London buying agency, Eccord.

“Americans now account for 30 per cent of our clients, the highest it’s ever been. From enquiries in the last few weeks, it’s clear their market share will grow further in 2025.

“Social and political challenges across the US, particularly gun crime and the start of a second Trump presidency, are encouraging many to accelerate their plans to relocate here permanently.”

While Labour’s changes to non-dom rules have dissuaded many international buyers from settling in London, the US imposes worldwide taxation on all its citizens, no matter where they live.

“While other nationalities are exiting the UK or thinking twice about buying here, American buyers are moving against the tide,” adds Eccles.

The falling pound, which is at its lowest level against the dollar since 2023, has also meant Americans can get more for their money when they buy a property.

Ranjit Thaker, founder of London buying agency Thaker Acquisitions, says London has many advantages for those moving from the US: “Aside from geography playing a key role as a gateway to Europe, the common language and business-friendly time zone have huge appeal to American buyers.”

He’s also seeing the effect among his clients. “Before the election we had one client express that their budget may increase following a Trump win… Given the US leads the billionaire population index, I would argue that this list will only grow under Trump’s administration and therefore see no sign of abatement from US investment into London in years to come.”

In terms of their own future, Lytwyn and Walker-Murray plan to stay in the UK for the medium term. “I think we will return to the US at some point,” Lytwyn says.

“We have a five-year visa and ageing parents. I remember asking Daniel: ‘What happens if Trump gets in?’ And he said, ‘We should move back and help.’ But we didn’t. It hit us that we love our life here. We’d have to sacrifice to live in another Trump administration.”

Meet the Americans moving to London to flee President Trump 2.0

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