Should You Move Because Donald Trump Will Be President Again?

Of course, whenever politics shift to the right in the United States of America, loads of people threaten to move to another country, be it Canada or overseas. There’s no doubt that interest in moving increased prior to the election and we can only imagine it has skyrocketed on Trump’s victory. 

Last week, The Juice considered how Trump might impact your money and the broad economy. See the Freshly Squeezed section for the link. Today, we come at it from another angle. And it’s not the same old “I’m moving because Trump got elected.” 

Just as some people vote on a single issue, there are others who might consider changing where they live — which might actually mean going someplace in America — because of one issue. That issue being climate change. And, no doubt, a Donald Trump presidency doesn’t inspire much calm or confidence in people who are super concerned with the environment. 

That said, let’s put this in perspective. 

Most experts agree that the green revolution is well underway and, while he might pump the brakes here or there, Trump is unlikely to stop it. For example, expect Trump to once again pull out of the Paris Agreement, however there are quite a few solar, wind and clean energy projects happening across the nation, including in red states, that are providing economic benefits. Particularly jobs.

Real quick on that point: Contrary to broad market upside, solar stocks, including the most popular names, listed in today’s Trackstar top five, took a beating on the news of Trump winning. Check them out at the bottom of the page. Because we don’t believe clean energy will suffer as much under Trump as people believe (we’ll write about this another day), this downside could represent a buying opportunity for long-term investors. 

Anyway—

Back to the Paris Agreement for more perspective. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, will not attend the United Nations climate summit in Azerbaijan. This seems a bit odd, given current events, but also reflects a lack of global coordination and cooperation on climate. 

Current events, including hurricanes in the Southeast United States and destructive flooding in eastern Spain. It’s difficult, if not foolish to claim that the strength of the storms hasn’t been — at the very least — enhanced by climate change. 

The Juice emanates from Southern California, where we have felt the impact, be it via atmospheric rivers or wildfires. We know some people quite well, in fact, who are moving to Valencia, Spain next year. So, no matter where you go, there you are with respect to climate change. 

It’s global. While Donald Trump going all-in might help, we have to say that we haven’t been that much more encouraged by previous U.S. and even some European administrations on the issue. 

All of this said, moving in response to climate change — specifically moving to a place where you think the impact will be less — is absolutely a thing. 

• 30% of Americans told Forbes that, if they move in 2024, it would be because of climate change. 
• More than three million Americans have already moved because of climate change, be it in direct response to flooding or simply fear of the potential ramifications of stronger storms. 

While many people are leaving coastal areas in the Southeast and the West, there’s also an allure keeping people in these places and making some move there despite the weather-related risks. That allure is, of course, employment. 

Interestingly, a study out of Rice University showed that most people who cite climate change as a reason for moving don’t go very far. Most simply relocate within a 20-minute drive to more flood-prone locations. 

In 2019, a researcher from Tulane University gave Duluth, Minnesota the label of “climate proof.” This prompted some people, quite a few from California, to move there. The Upper Midwest and New England are popular destinations for so-called climate refugees. 

However, there’s a downside. According to a 2023 New York Times story, while they’re welcomed with warmth in, for example, Duluth, Californians who come to the city armed with home equity have helped drive up housing prices there. However, the numbers don’t reveal this as a lasting issue. 

As of October 2024, the median price of a home in Duluth is $234,000, which is down 18.6% year over year.  

The Bottom Line: Moving, no matter where and why you do it, is a big decision. It’s one you could regret, especially if you’re moving because of a single issue. 

Granted, climate change is an important issue. But we’re living through times that are charged with emotion for some people. Roughly half of the country didn’t vote for Trump. And a significant chunk of that half is having trouble coping. Add in scenes of storms, wildfires and other climate-related events across the globe and it’s easy to feel anxiety. 

Anxiety is primarily about feeling like you don’t have control over a situation. So, to gain control, many people take action. While The Juice isn’t saying this is a bad thing, even in response to climate change, we are saying that it’s not wise to overreact, particularly during emotionally turbulent times. 

And, while you can make a case for blaming Trump for lots of things, it’s quite difficult to make him the villain on climate change, which has struggled to bring people and governments together globally, no matter who happens to be in power in the United States.

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