Eva Longoria didn’t flee the US because of politics, actress says

Eva Longoria didn’t change her residence because of who won the White House this election season.
The Texas-born actress, who revealed in a recent interview with Marie Claire that she no longer lives in the U.S. full-time, clarified that President-elect Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election did not influence her decision.
Longoria brought up the subject during a phone call with “The View” co-host Ana Navarro, who was filming for the ABC talk show’s podcast “Behind the Table.”
“Will you please let them know I didn’t move out of the United States because of Trump?” Longoria asked Navarro in the clip shared Friday, to which Navarro replied that Longoria moved out of the U.S. before Trump’s election win.
“I’ve been in Europe for almost three years,” Longoria said. “By the way, the article says that. People just grabbed some clickbait stuff to be divisive, which makes me so sad, you know. Everything you say is just meant to be divisive when we can’t be that way right now.”
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During the Marie Claire interview, published Wednesday, Longoria shared that she splits her time primarily between Spain and Mexico. While the “Desperate Housewives” star made the decision before the contentious election cycle, the outcome solidified her choice and contributed to her “anxiety” for those still living in America.
“I’m privileged,” Longoria told the magazine, “I get to escape and go somewhere. Most Americans aren’t so lucky. They’re going to be stuck in this dystopian country, and my anxiety and sadness is for them.”
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In her conversation with Navarro, Longoria agreed that leaving the U.S. helped her get away from “the noise” of American politics, but she maintained that her work life was the primary motivator for the move.
“Being away from the constant 24-hour news cycle puts you in a bit of a bubble, for sure,” Longoria said, but “That’s why I’m in Europe. I didn’t leave because of the political environment. I left because my work took me there.”
Longoria has long been a strong supporter of the Democratic party and spent some of the summer campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s win is part of the reason she’s happy to be away from the States right now, Longoria told Marie Claire.
“If he keeps his promises, it’s going to be a scary place,” Longoria told the outlet. “Even before (the pandemic), it was changing. The vibe was different. And then COVID happened, and it pushed it over the edge.”
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The “Flamin’ Hot” director, who recalled feeling “depressed” after Trump’s election win in 2016, said she wasn’t entirely surprised by Trump’s landslide victory against Harris. “I truly believed in my soul that the best person wins. And then that (the 2016 election) happened, and I was like, ‘Oh, wait. The best person doesn’t win.'”
“The shocking part is not that he won,” said Longoria of the 2024 election results. “It’s that a convicted criminal who spews so much hate could hold the highest office.”
Contributing: Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY