Did actor Richard Gere leave the United States after Donald Trump became president and did he vow "never to return"? No, that's not true: The actor announced the move as far back as April 2024 when Joe Biden was still President and the national conventions still had to happen. The stated reason for the move was that Gere's wife is Spanish and he wanted to "live in her world" for at least a couple of years because she lived in his for several years.
News about the move went viral again through a post on X (archived here)published on March 29, 2025 that read:
Richard Gere leaves the United States for Spain with his family and vows never to return!
This is what the post looked like:
(Image: screenshot downloaded from x.com)
By including a picture of Elon Musk in the collage that went with the post it was implied the move happened after or because of the election of Donald Trump.
However it is well documented Gere announced the move much, much earlier. In an April 16, 2024 interview in the Spanish edition of Vanity Fair (archived here) Gere explained the reason for the move:
For me, going to Madrid is going to be a great adventure because I've never lived full-time outside of the United States. And I think it will also be very interesting for my children. For Alejandra, it will be wonderful to be closer to her family, her lifelong friends, and her culture. She was very generous in giving me six years living in my world, so I think it's only fair that I give her at least another six living in hers. In any case, I love Spain and I think your lifestyle is fabulous. So is your ability to live a life of joy and happiness. It's a beautiful place, the food is extraordinary, and the people exude sensitivity and generosity, as well as a fierce will to laugh and enjoy themselves. So I'm looking forward to going there.
(Translation: Google Translate)
