Dear Editor,
During a recent travel experience in the USA together with another Italian academician, I had the opportunity to meet several colleagues working in universities from three different States.
This resulted in a number of extremely fruitful and enriching scientific discussions alongside human and professional interactions. Notwithstanding the above, I had a clear-cut perception of the great uncertainties permeating the lives of many American scientists in the current "Donald Trump era".
As a matter of fact, never before have such consistent cuts to public research funding been made by any USA Government!
Likewise, very promising research lines and projects have never before been so abruptly interrupted, with no continuity being guaranteed to them. Within such an alarming and dramatic scenario, the most negative fact is represented, however, by the totally unprecedented migration of American scientists towards foreign Countries, with 75% of them looking for positions especially in Canada as well as in Europe, according to a Nature poll organized in 2025 [1].
Paradoxically, such an unfortunate situation reminds me of the fate of so many Italian scientists throughout the last fifty years, with a large proportion of them migrating to USA and not returning anymore to Italy, except for "tourism".
Despite all the above, anyway, it is my strong belief that, once the desolating "Trump era" is definitely over, the American scientific community will resurrect, thereby fully regaining its extraordinary strength and vitality thanks to the powerful and highly protective "antibodies" it is equipped with.
Preventing is far better than curing!
References
1. Witze A. 75% of US scientists who answered Nature poll consider leaving. Nature 640:298-299 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/d41586-025-00938-y https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00938-y
The American scientific community seen through the eyes of an Italian scientist