In anera of political tumult, some affluent Americans are quietly orchestrating a Plan B in case all hell breaks loose.
Their elaborate and often pricey strategies include snagging citizenship in countries such as Malta or securing the ultimate sanctuary: a bespoke concrete-fortified bunker.
“They think civil war or revolution is coming to America,” said Atlas Survival Shelters CEORon Hubbard, noting an uptick in inquiries followingthe attempted assassinationof former PresidentDonald Trumpduring a Pennsylvania rally in July.
Atlas’s “super-luxury” bunkers boast an array of high-tech features: bulletproof hatches, gas-tight marine-grade doors, tamper-proof air pipes and decontamination rooms. Yet they don’t skimp on style, featuring granite countertops and oak flooring. An escape tunnel is standard on larger models, which can top $200,000.
“They’re made to be a biosphere,” said Hubbard, who let Kim andKhloe Kardashianclimb into one of his steel bunkers for an episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
Today’s societal angst echoes past fears, such as the 1950s nuclear threat andthe Covid-19 pandemic. Yet the current unease is different because it is exacerbated by political rhetoric, said University of Minnesota historianElaine May.Her book “Fortress America” explores Americans’ growing isolation in response to real and perceived threats. “What we are seeing now is a new sort of anxiety, driven and encouraged by political actors,” she said.
A YouGov poll taken the day afterthe Trump-rally shootingfound that 67% of U.S. adults think the current political climate makes politically motivated violence more likely. A Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted around the same time found that 79% of respondents agreed the U.S. is “spiraling out of control.”
“Right now the world is on a teeter-totter. It’s a matter of which way it is going to go,” saidGeoffrey Toledo, a 37-year-old Tampa real-estate investor who is eyeing a unit in the “Survival Condo” building, a 15-story-deep bunker nestled in an abandoned missile silo in Kansas. This underground fortress has a swimming pool, co*cktail lounge and provides up to a five-year supply of food.
This month, Toledo is touring a 1,846-square-foot unit priced at $2.4 million with his wife and children as he weighs his options. Amenities include armed guards and a 5-acre fenced-in area on the surface where residents typically walk their dogs.
‘Demand is peaking’
Larry Hall, the visionary behind the Survival Condo complex, reports surging interest as the November election looms. A 29-year-old real-estate investor in Arlington, Va., is considering a furnished 950-square-foot unit listed at $1.3 million at Hall’s bunker as a potential refuge for himself and his girlfriend. “Everybody has framed the election as an existential crisis. People hear that long enough, and if their guy doesn’t win they go into desperation mode,” he said. “I’m looking for something turnkey that you can just walk into.”
While earlier societal fears prompted sales of gas masks and ham radios, today’s anxieties are driving a more grandiose response.
“For wealthy Americans, it is just a question of, are there some steps we can take, God forbid something catastrophic would happen in our country,” saidScott Bowman, a partner with McDermott Will & Emery, which regularly advises families with a net worth above $500 million.
This spring, the firm held a symposium with a panel entitled “World On Fire: Managing Wealth Mobility in a Complex Global Environment.” Topics included how to move assets outside the U.S. to ensure accessibility in the event of an economic collapse.
Atlas Survival Shelters, which ships units directly to customers, reports a tripling of bunker sales since the pandemic and turbulent protests of 2020. A Kentucky lawyer said he is buying an Atlas bunker for $250,000 including solar power and installation to shelter his wife and their four children against nuclear war, civil war, terrorism or other disaster.
The steel bunker will be entombed roughly 20 feet underground on property he owns in an Appalachian valley.
For those who prefer more of a subterranean suburbia, California-based Vivos Group sells shares in bunker communities across locations including South Dakota and Indiana. “Demand is peaking right now,” said company PresidentRobert Vicino. “It’s up every time something happens.”
Vivos owns some 600 concrete bunkers—former government storage structures—on rolling grasslands near South Dakota’s Black Hills. Measuring 26 feet by 80 feet, they lease for $55,000 each, and residents can customize their space with various “bunker floor plans.” (Among options: great room, private bedrooms, powder room, full and half baths and even gyms.) The company’s website touts, “5-Star Survival Luxury and Comfort.”
Philippe Briggs, 56, a now-retired police detective from Southern California, has been leasing one of Vivos’s South Dakota bunkers since the pandemic, for himself, his wife and their four children. Briggs notes the bunker doubles as a summer getaway. Some of his retired police friends have also locked up space there.
“We were looking where we could invest together in a place we could take our families if something bad happened,” said Briggs.
Vivos’s Indiana compound accommodates 80 people and comes fully furnished and stocked. “It’s like an underground cruise ship,” Vicino said.
Scott Hunt, who was a consultant on the National Geographic reality-TV show “Doomsday Preppers,” questions the practicality of bunkers due to maintenance challenges underground.
Philippe Briggs has been leasing one of Vivos’s bunkers since the pandemic for himself, his wife and their four children. He notes that the bunker doubles as a summer getaway.Bridget Bennett for WSJ (2)
He also wonders about the wisdom of surviving a catastrophic event such as a nuclear attack: “If there’s nothing left, I think you missed the point.”
Immigrating to other countries
Montreal immigration attorneyJean-Philippe Brunetsaid his office has received an increase in inquiries from both Democrats and Republicans about moving to Canada, at least temporarily, following the November election.
“One ‘uniting’ worry seems to be possible concerns about the postelection scenarios,” said Brunet, founding partner of the law firm Galileo Partners. “Canada may be a way to find peace of mind and security.”
The number of Americans seeking citizenship or residency in other countries through programs that can require six- and seven-figure investments has surged, according to Henley & Partners USA, a firm specializing in such programs.
Applications through Henley grew nearly sevenfold between 2018 and 2023, with 2024 on track to set a new record, the firm said.
Judi Galstof Henley notes her clients span the political spectrum and cite various concerns: rising antisemitism, vaccine requirements, school shootings or political instability.
The most popular “citizenship by investment” and residency programs are in the Caribbean’s Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Malta, Portugal, Spain and Greece.
Fleeing isn’t cheap. Becoming a citizen in the tiny island nation of Malta south of Sicily requires a nonrefundable contribution starting at 750,000 euros, or about $813,000, as well as a purchase or lease of real estate in the country. Adding a layer of complexity, Malta publishes an annual list of new citizens, a potential drawback for those valuing privacy.
Few clients want to leave the U.S. permanently, Galst said. Most hope they will never have to activate their alternative citizenship. “People insure their house for fire and hope it never burns down.”
