Disaffected Americans desperate to get away from Donald Trump are doing everything they can to get to New Zealand, the AP reports. Apparently the island nation with six times more sheep than humans is a natural choice to escape the wolf in the White House.
In the 12 weeks following Trump’s election, applications for a grant of citizenship in New Zealand were up 70 percent compared to a year prior. That same time period saw more Americans with a Kiwi parent apply for citizenship, more Americans visit the country, and more Americans apply for a work visa.
The country’s stability and beauty is the primary draw. But for some, the remoteness makes it a good insurance policy. That’s why a growing number of ultrarich Chicken Littles have bought land or obtained citizenship on the the island nation, where, the thinking goes, one would be relatively removed from the chaos that would engulf the rest of the world if everything went to hell.
Of course, not everyone who sees the appeal of New Zealand has been able to uproot their life in the U.S. and start studying rugby. Take Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She still lives in the U.S. despite suggesting last summer that if Trump won the election she’d have to “move to New Zealand.”
