American actress and television presenter Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed that her decision to move to the United Kingdom has been influenced by the outcome of the recent presidential elections in the United States.
During a conversation event at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, the 67-year-old DeGeneres directly addressed the question posed by host Richard Bacon about whether Donald Trump had motivated her move. "Yes," she confessed, detailing that she and her wife, Portia de Rossi, arrived in the United Kingdom "the day before the elections and woke up to a lot of messages from our friends with crying emojis, and I thought, 'He won.' And we said, 'We're staying here'."
In this way, the American actress has confirmed the main reason for the start of her new life stage in the United Kingdom, after her definitive move in November of last year. Until that moment, the media speculated that it could be due to Trump's victory, but the official confirmation from her had not come until now.
The relationship between Ellen DeGeneres and Donald Trump has been a matter of public attention on several occasions. The actress, known for her progressive stance and for being a reference in LGBTIQ+ activism, has expressed opinions that contrast with the policies and statements of the president on numerous occasions. An ideological disagreement that DeGeneres has not hesitated to make public through the media.
One of the instances where this antagonistic relationship was exposed was in August 2015, during a Republican candidates' debate, where Megyn Kelly denounced sexist comments and a smear campaign on Twitter by Trump. When asked by Kelly if she "would have Trump on her show," DeGeneres did not hesitate in her refusal, explaining her reasoning: "He is who he is and has enough attention and has his Twitter account to send messages to everyone. There's nothing I can say to him that will change him, and I don't want to give him a platform because that validates him. For me, to invite someone to the show, I have to admire them in some way, and I can't have someone who I feel is not only dangerous for the country and personally for me as a gay woman, but also for the world. He's dividing us all. I don't want him on the show," she concluded.