My family moved from the UK to the US in the summer of 2024, just before Trump was elected. I now straddle two worlds:
I am an immigrant, but one with privilege — a secure visa, white skin, and an English accent that earns me the softer label of “expat.”
I live in America, yet most of my family and friends remain in Europe. I watch events unfold here with horror, but as a non-citizen, I cannot vote or petition officials with the same weight as Americans can.
I am a Christian who takes seriously the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself,” one given by a dark-skinned Middle Eastern refugee, Jesus, who would likely be labelled “radical left” and barred entry to America right now. I was raised by parents who served refugees across Europe, and I know full well how often Scripture calls us to “welcome the foreigner.”
My family and I have largely stopped discussing Trump’s administration. In Europe, the reaction veers between disbelief and dread — fact-checks turned satire, laughter laced with fear of another global crisis. The anxiety has become too much to carry.
Europe remembers how easily an elected leader can “other” people, glorify eugenics, and use lies and fear to consolidate power. It’s deeply unsettling to see racist attacks rising again in England, often from young white men emboldened by hate as they watch the current US administration. We know where this leads. We should have learned.
Here in America, I see an administration that disregards truth, law, and the Constitution, and I fear that without accountability, this country is as endangered as European headlines suggest. I do not feel as safe as I hoped to feel.
With one foot in America and one in Europe, I live with constant anxiety and disillusionment. I grew up admiring the US as a place of freedom, generosity, and faith — a democracy built by immigrants with vision. I still see glimpses of that nation in the kindness of strangers, the welcome of churches, and the wild beauty of the land. But I also see a rise in hatred, division, and a whitewashed Christianity that Christ Himself would not recognize.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” I grew up believing those words were the soul of America. Right now, I’m not sure they still are.
—Claire Wright
Have thoughts? Submit a letter to the editor.