AN old, rickety house in upstate New York has served as a landmark since I began visiting family here in 2017. It is hard to miss because it has a massive Trump sign, painted in the colours of the American flag, with the years ‘2016’, ‘2020’ and now ‘2024’ next to his name. I am unaffected by its presence, but the folks I know who live here see it as a sign of all that is wrong with politics.
They are distressed by an April 3 poll by the Wall Street Journal placing Trump in the lead in six of the seven most competitive states. These states tend to determine the election outcome. The poll reported on “voter dissatisfaction” with the economy and “deep doubts” about President Joe Biden’s capabilities.
I have since been listening to fears about Trump’s return and how folks will migrate to Canada. Funnily enough, I first heard that in 2004, when George W. Bush was re-elected, the data shows around 10,000 Americans became permanent residents in Canada following Bush’s re-election, and dipped after Barack Obama was elected in 2008. The data for Trump showed a 350 per cent increase in search for “how to move to Canada” when he won, and around 9,000 made good on their promise and........