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CNN Promotes Guest Who Helps Americans Live Abroad to Flee ‘Conservatism’
At the end of Thursday afternoon’s edition of CNN News Central hyped the trend of Americans picking up and moving out of the United States. The program invited Jen Barnett, a co-founder of the group Expatsi that helps American move and live abroad, on to explain the reasons why American might be moving abroad. Host Brianna Keilar framed the rise as a response to "affordability" issues, but Barnett said it was mostly political.
The segment started off with the introduction of mortgage rates falling below six percent for the first time in three years. Keilar then shifted to blame soaring home prices on “President Trump’s immigration crackdown.”
The U.S. Census found in 2025 a major decline in migration to the United States. And it's not just about fewer people trying to get in the country during President Trump's immigration crackdown. Population watchers say it's also about many more people moving out more Americans are deciding to live outside of the US.
Asked about the trends of movement abroad, Barnett boasted about its growing popularity and ended up with an admittance that it was mostly political:
The growth is exploding. You know, we call it the move abroad movement. And our business in particular has grown 18 times over the past two years from Americans, we only serve Americans who want to move abroad. It's definitely people who are driven by politics, whether it's political division or the conservatism right now. There is also cost of living, healthcare, avoiding gun violence, and other causes
Maybe Barnett should check the news and read about all the cartel violence in Mexico, including the recent cartel chaos in Jalisco, which Keilar didn't even ask her about.
CNN's Brianna Keilar hypes that many Americans are leaving the country because of Trump and conservatives. She speaks with an expat in Mexico, who wasn't ask about the cartel violence, but touted:
"The the growth is exploding. You know, we call it the move abroad movement. And… pic.twitter.com/eRQvQWxOAh
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 26, 2026
Kielar wanted to make sure the segment shifted to affordability, and got the newfound Mexico-transplant to praise the healthcare systems of foreign countries. Barnett then claimed Americans living abroad find “a sense of community that they’ve lost in recent years."
She went on to explain the challenges of moving abroad, and, essentially, blamed it on Americans' language skills, while making sure to distinguish current Native Americans from native Americans:
...they didn't discover that they should have visited during the wet season and the dry season, or during the hot season and the cold season. And so, they really just didn't know what they were getting into. And so they really just didn't know what they were getting into. And so that's why we advocate for like going through a really careful six step process to get moved. But most often it is poor planning, but it doesn't mean that they can't pivot. Maybe they didn't get to the right place to begin with, but we can get them to the right place next.
That said, language is a big thing, right? Americans are, especially native Americans, are famously monoglots - meaning people who were born in the US, not people who are Native Americans - and learning a new language can be challenging or daunting or scary, but it's so good for you.”
How about checking what the crime statistics were?
Keilar ended the segment with a question to Barnett about where the most popular places to move abroad were. She responded with "Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama.”
Happily, Keilar exclaimed “All right. It looks like a lot of people learning Spanish, as I'm sure you have.”
If one wanted to move away from the US to flee conservatism to face possible cartel violence instead, maybe they should rethink their political habits and have a realization of their derangement.
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
CNN News Central
February 26, 2026
3:53:37 PM
BRIANNA KEILAR: US mortgage rates dropped below six percent for the first time in more than three years, and industry insiders hope that seeing a rate starting with the number five will help nudge more buyers into the market because they've been stalled by soaring home prices and the high cost of housing, just one factor driving historic trend.
The U.S. Census found in 2025 a major decline in migration to the United States. And it's not just about fewer people trying to get in the country during President Trump's immigration crackdown. Population watchers say it's also about many more people moving out. More Americans are deciding to live outside of the US.
Let's talk about it with Jen Barnett who is the co-founder of Expatsi. It's a company that helps Americans move abroad. And Jen, you're joining us from Oaxaca, Mexico. So, you are outside yourself. How much has this trend of moving abroad picked up? And who exactly is moving and how has that changed?
BARNETT: The growth is exploding. You know, we call it the move abroad movement. And our business in particular has grown 18 times over the past two years from Americans, we only serve Americans who want to move abroad. It's definitely people who are driven by politics, whether it's political division or the conservatism right now. There is also cost of living, healthcare, avoiding gun violence, and other causes
KEILAR: Yeah, because it seems like affordability is part of it, right? And politics is something that we also hear people talk about. Can you talk specifically about some of the things that people tell you they feel that they're gaining when they're moving abroad, that they're looking for with that move?
BARNETT: Absolutely. So essentially, the cost benefit analysis of just living in the U.S. is changing for them. And so they start with this concept of “I want something different. I want something more.” But then what they find is that healthcare is huge. I mean, the fact that you can get $8 mammograms and $150 monthly insurance payments and things like that, especially when insurance rates are soaring for Americans. And there's always that fear of one accident causing bankruptcy, and you just don't have that in other countries. But then what they also find is a sense of community that they've lost in recent years.
KEILAR: That's really interesting. So, do you hear from people who move abroad and then, you know maybe they have trouble adjusting? Be honest here, what are the hard parts about it and what makes a smoother transition?
BARNETT: Okay. So, one of the biggest things is when people don't do enough homework up front, right? And so, they just pick up and go and they pick up and go somewhere that's challenging. They go through the whole process, and then they get to Spain or Costa Rica, and they didn't discover that they should have visited during the wet season and the dry season, or during the hot season and the cold season. And so, they really just didn't know what they were getting into.
And so, that's why we advocate for like going through a really careful six step process to get moved. But most often it is poor planning, but it doesn't mean that they can't pivot. Maybe they didn't get to the right place to begin with, but we can get them to the right place next.
That said, language is a big thing, right? Americans are, especially native Americans, are famously monoglots - meaning people who were born in the U.S., not people who are Native Americans - and learning a new language can be challenging or daunting or scary, but it's so good for you.
KEILAR: Real quick because we have like 30 seconds, the most popular destinations for Americans right now?
BARNETT: Portugal, Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama.
KEILAR: All right. It looks like a lot of people learning Spanish, as I'm sure you have, Jen Barnett. Thank you for joining us. Really interesting segment.
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