'Trumpugees' fleeing U.S. for liberal Netherlands find it's taken a right turn
The so-called 'Trumpugees' looking for an alternative to Donald Trump 's rightist agenda have been looking to the European country as a haven.
But the country's new Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, is preparing to usher in a wave of policies more in common with the Republican administration in Washington.
Despite that, GTFO Tours - an organization founded by Bethany Quinn and Jana Sanchez to help Americans relocate to the Netherlands - says it has seen a 200 per cent uptick in inquiries in recent months.
'I think a lot of Americans have sort of been waiting to see how things are going, but they just keep getting worse,' Quinn told Newsweek.
The organization pointed to Trump's hardline immigration policies and anti-transgender rights stance as the driving force behind the increase.
Quinn said Americans have been bracing for setbacks in social progress since Trump took office in January.
She argued that Trump's slew of executive orders on his first day in office, 'reversed 60+ years of progress.'
'A lot of Americans are just looking to have a peaceful life. They just wanna live their lives and they don't want to worry about their safety. They don't wanna worry about their government collapsing,' Quinn continued.
The Netherlands may seem like an obvious choice to escape the American grind, but the country's government has had its fair share of turmoil.
The government's four-party coalition collapsed in June when Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, withdrew after the other three parties declined to back his immigration plan.
Then in July, the Dutch parliament passed a slew of anti-immigration reforms targeted at asylum seekers.
The Netherlands is also pumping the brakes on reforms for transgender citizens. A bill introduced in 2021 to make it easier for trans individuals to change their gender registration on official documents was recently withdrawn.
'This cabinet is letting transgender people down in an unprecedented way,' chair Remke Verdegem said of the decision.
The wave of conservative policies mirrors the harsh immigration and anti-trans policies of the Trump administration.
Grover Wehman-Brown, an American looking to move to the Netherlands, recently told Newsweek, that as a trans individual, they felt increasing fear living in the U.S.
Wehman-Brown said that they experienced a 'constant threat and vigilance' growing up trans in rural Ohio, and was now starting to see those tensions again.
'I had gone to the Netherlands once 15 years ago, and I really liked the short amount of time I spent there, so I was like, "this is really a lovely place where everybody seems busy and purposeful, but cooperating well together and things are running smoothly,'" they added.
Wehman-Brown isn't the only one, with a survey by the Immigration Advice Authority citing that one in four Americans were weighing emigration after Trump's 2024 win.
Canada has also emerged as a leading destination for fed-up Americans to relocate. However, any refuge could be short-lived if the president makes good on his threats to turn the country into America's 51st state.
Almost 500 fleeing U.S. citizens have tried to claim asylum in Canada since the billionaire's re-election.
But liberals seeking refuge from Trump's America have been dealt a crushing blow after their favorite sanctuary issued a brutal crackdown.
The Canadian government is bringing in emergency powers to make it easier to block applications and its border agency says the proposed overhaul is to 'protect the system.'
Other popular destinations for American progressives include Portugal and Spain.
Interracial lesbian couple Doris Davis and Susie Bartlett living in NYC told Reuters in May they are considering the move.
'We love this country, but we don't love what it has become. When your identity is being attacked, there is a personal sense of... anger (and) frustration,' Davis said.
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