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The United States Department of State has reportedly received a record number of applications for passports in 2024, seemingly indicating Americans want out of the nation—something many have attributed to the possibility (now a reality) of a Republican Presidency.
While many liberal Americans reportedly consider, or joke about, leaving the country after a Republican takes the White House, Knewz.com has learned that the prospect of a second term of the Donald Trump Presidency has made many of them firmly stick to the decision of emigrating, reportedly out of concern and dread.
According to the U.S. Department of State, 2024 was the third consecutive fiscal year that saw a record-breaking number of passports issued in the country.
The Department processed "approximately 24.5 million passport books and cards – half a million more than last year’s record-breaking totals," according to a recent press release.
In addition, "More than one million Americans have successfully applied to renew their passports through the Online Passport Renewal (OPR) system, which we fully launched in September," the Department noted.
The U.S. Department of State also plans on opening six new passport facilities in the coming years, located in Utah, Florida, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, and North Carolina.
Due to the record-breaking rise in passport applications, the Department also announced that it will be making the application process more "efficient and convenient."
However, some are seeing this as a symptom of the fears of living under a Republican Presidency until the next election term.
Bushra Seddique, an editorial fellow at The Atlantic who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021, recently wrote that a significant section of liberals intend to emigrate rather than live under Trump's reign.
"I spoke with Americans from different backgrounds and communities about their plans to emigrate if Trump wins. Some are worried about their physical well-being, others about the future of same-sex marriage, and still others are distressed about the possibility of large-scale violence in the aftermath of [Trump's] victory—or even his defeat," Seddique wrote at a time when the results of the 2024 elections were yet to be declared.
It is worth noting that John Kelly, the longest-serving White House Chief of Staff during the Trump administration, has repeatedly warned about his potentially dictatorial rule if he is reinstated for a second Presidential term.
Kelly had previously stated that he believes Trump meets the very definition of "a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed, and had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of rule of law."
"Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy," Kelly explained.
"So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America... Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that. So he certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure."
"He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government," Kelly added.
"[Trump] never accepted the fact that he wasn’t the most powerful man in the world — and by power, I mean an ability to do anything he wanted, anytime he wanted," he further stated.
The accusations of fascism gained further traction when Trump suggested the use of the nation's military and the National Guard in order to deal with "the enemy from within" the U.S.—who Trump reportedly believes are "radical left lunatics."
In her op-ed piece in The Atlantic, Seddique pointed out that Trump is "a different sort of threat" than Afghanistan's Taliban—who have effectively robbed women of basic human rights and rendered freedom of speech non-existent for its citizens and residents.
"But I still empathize with would-be émigrés. I can very much understand the need to leave a place that no longer feels safe, and I believe that their concerns are genuine," Seddique wrote.
She further stated that while many Americans certainly will not follow through with their plans to leave the U.S., it is noteworthy that "their fear [of a Trump Presidency] is great enough that they are seriously considering it."
Seddique spoke to Pamela Reading-Smith, a Democratic activist from South Carolina who plans on emigrating to Spain to live with her son and his wife.
Reading-Smith told her that she believes people have underestimated what "is at stake in this election" and the alleged threat Trump poses when he is reinstated to the White House.
"[Trump] is going to turn this country into an authoritarian country," the South Carolina Democrat warned, adding that the President-elect would crack down on the media once he comes to power.
"Once we lose the media... who are the people of the country? They are no one, because they have no knowledge of what’s going on," she added.
Trump's victory has reportedly also given rise to concerns regarding political violence, as Cynthia (last name withheld), also from South Carolina, told Seddique, "My perspective is that he did encourage people to take over the Capitol. If Trump were to lose, I would be concerned about far more widespread violence."
Of all the people Seddique spoke to, several are considering moving to Spain, London, or Canada, she wrote.