A Yale University professor, who left the United States in response to Donald Trump’s presidency, has criticized Canadians considering relocation to America.

Jason Stanley, now a faculty member at the University of Toronto’s Munk School after departing from Yale in 2025, admonished Canadians expressing interest in moving to the U.S., describing such sentiments as nearly “traitorous” in light of the country’s alleged shift toward fascism under Trump.

Stanley strongly advocates for Canada to embrace a “robust nationalism,” which he believes should involve a firm rejection of what he perceives as the United States’ emerging values of cruelty and intolerance.

The professor, originally from Syracuse, expressed concern that many Canadians continue to focus on American universities, travel, and economic prospects, seemingly disregarding the rise of white supremacy and fascism he associates with the U.S.

Praising Canada’s democratic freedoms, Stanley cautioned his Canadian audience by stating, “America is not your friend.”

In an article for the Toronto Star, Stanley explained, “The U.S. has been heading toward fascism for a while. That’s why my family and I made the decision to move to Canada last March.”

‘Yet in my short time here, I have observed an alarming level of naïveté about what is happening south of the border. 

‘We are extraordinarily privileged to live in this country. Yet I have spoken to Canadians who say they would rather live in the US – even now. To me, this verges on traitorous.’

Jason Stanley, a former Yale professor and author of How Fascism Works, now teaches at the University of Toronto after relocating his family to Canada

The Pentagon dubbed the mission ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’ while President Donald Trump said the U.S. would temporarily ‘run’ Venezuela without outlining a transition plan

Stanley’s op-ed came after a turbulent start to 2026, when US special forces captured Maduro in Caracas and flew him to New York on narcoterrorism charges. 

The Pentagon dubbed the mission ‘Operation Absolute Resolve,’ and Trump declared that the US would temporarily ‘run’ Venezuela without offering a transition plan. 

‘As in Ukraine, Canadian nationalism should be based on defending core democratic ideals,’ he wrote. ‘Investing in the military and building new infrastructure are essential, but Canada must also cultivate and reinforce a society-wide mistrust of its southern neighbor.’

Stanley also said that American immigration enforcement now functions as an internal security force loyal to the president alone.

‘ICE is now an internal security force, seemingly beholden to Trump alone,’ he wrote, claiming the agency ‘continues to terrorize US civilians.’

He cited the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, as well as policies he said have effectively sealed the US border to refugees and asylum seekers.

Stanley also said the Justice Department has been weaponized against Trump’s opponents, claimed non‑citizens have ‘no right to free speech,’ and cited Stephen Miller’s remarks as evidence the administration favors rule by force. 

‘All Canadians must now recognize that their once-reliable ally poses a genuine existential threat to the free world,’ Stanley wrote, warning that annexation remains ‘on the table.’

Stanley said he was ‘shocked’ by Canadians who spoke unapologetically about vacationing there or who spent their ‘Canadian-earned fortunes’ supporting American universities.

‘Canada is a free democracy, one that embraces diversity and tolerance,’ he concluded. ‘For that very reason, America is not your friend… It is time we started living in the real world.’

Stanley is the author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, a 2018 book examining the tactics and warning signs of authoritarian movements

Signs notify drivers at the US-Canada Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Detroit, Michigan on Thursday, April 17, 2025

Stanley has echoed similar warnings in interviews over the past year. 

When he accepted the Toronto teaching position, he told The Guardian in March 2025 that he left Yale after Columbia University ‘capitulated’ to federal pressure, calling the university’s approach a ‘losing strategy’ and saying he wanted to raise his children in a country ‘that is not tilting toward a fascist dictatorship.’

By late 2025, Stanley went further, telling Mother Jones: ‘Yes, a coup is happening in the United States,’ adding that remaining at Yale would have meant pressure not to draw the Trump administration’s ‘wrath’ onto the university.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Stanley for comment.