I wonder if anyone else is considering giving up their U.S. grad school ambitions because of the political climate. I'm an American living abroad, and I knew Trump would be bad, but I didn't realize how bad it could really be until he was inaugurated. (And the scariest thing is, we still don't *really* know how bad it will be.)
For me, it might not make sense to come back, even if I get into a great program. I want to have a kid in the next few years: the social safety net was bad enough under Obama; I can only imagine how much worse things will be in Trump's America. It would be delusional to expect any sort of positive government action in terms of health care, parental leave, daycare, or education. There are problems everywhere, of course, but I suspect I would be better off having a baby/raising a child where I'm currently living. (And *particularly* as a harried grad student earning somewhere near the poverty line.)
Anecdotally, one of my professors here told me that he's heard that U.S. applications to European programs are waaaay up this cycle over previous years.
On the other hand, I do feel a sense of responsibility. It's unreal to be here and not there while this is all happening.