Twitter users vow to move to Mexico, Canada — and Alaska — if Donald Trump becomes president
It happens during every presidential race: People who don't like [insert name of candidate] vow to leave the U.S. for [insert name of random country]. More than a year before the 2016 election, and months before the eventual nominees will be announced, Twitter users are already sharing their escape plans in case President Trump becomes a reality.
The digital analytics firm Luminoso looked at 4.5 million tweets sent between Aug. 7 and Sept. 9 that mentioned Donald Trump, USA Today reports. A whopping 4 percent, or 200,000 tweets, were from people who said they would flee the United States if Trump becomes president. So, which countries could see an influx of angry Americans in January 2017? Mexico comes in first, with 75,000 tweets (good luck getting there, what with the wall President Trump plans to erect), and Canada comes in third with 25,000. Second place belongs to "general," with people promising to move if Trump is elected, but not naming a specific location.
Other countries listed include the U.K. (11,000 tweets), Australia (5,800), and France (2,000). I've got some bad news for the people who tweeted about moving to Alaska (5,800): Even though you'd be able to see Russia from your house, Trump would still be your president.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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