Eight-time Grammy winner Art Garfunkel considers leaving U.S. over Trump presidency

Art Garfunkel says he is considering leaving the United States because he cannot accept the direction of President Donald Trump's administration. "I don’t like America’s position at all," the eight-time Grammy winner told The Guardian. "I’m not aboard, and I’m thinking of leaving the country, frankly."

The 84-year-old singer said Trump's policies and actions had alarmed him. He also raised concerns about climate change, rising water levels and global hunger. Questioning the administration's approach to Venezuela, Garfunkel asked whether the "new rules" allowed one country to take control of another. "When Donald Trump took over Venezuela, are those the new rules? Just take over a country and run it? It’s shocking," he said.

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I don’t like America’s position at all. I’m not aboard, and I’m thinking of leaving the country, frankly.

Garfunkel has supported Trump's political opponents, including Bernie Sanders, and has long identified with liberal politics. Despite his criticism, he said he believes the presidency will eventually change. "You think: how on Earth are we gonna change the presidency?" he said. "But Trump won’t last forever. So we’ve got to hope."

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When Donald Trump took over Venezuela, are those the new rules? Just take over a country and run it? It’s shocking.

The singer is returning to live performance with his What a Wonderful World tour, which begins in Los Angeles on October 1 and continues through the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan. He has said he is singing more now than at any point in the past two decades. His recent projects include Father and Son, recorded with his son Art Jr, and "Authorship," a track that combines an excerpt from his 2017 memoir with an AI-generated piano arrangement.

Garfunkel became famous through his partnership with Paul Simon. The pair first recorded together as schoolchildren in Queens and found early success as Tom & Jerry before reuniting professionally as Simon & Garfunkel. Their hits included "The Sound of Silence," "Mrs Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." They reconciled in 2025 after years apart. Garfunkel later built a solo career, acted in films including Catch-22 and Carnal Knowledge, and released the 1979 hit "Bright Eyes."

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You think: how on Earth are we gonna change the presidency? But Trump won’t last forever. So we’ve got to hope.