But how is fleeing the country not “giving up before you fight”?

Trying to seriously answer… he’s a researcher that studies fascism, so his most effective means of fighting is to continue his work. He’s a more valuable fighter as a researcher than he is as a guy on picket lines. If he continues his research, it’s a net gain for everyone - specially if he continues advocating, like he is already doing by talking about this with media.

He praised other faculty at Yale for standing up against the attacks on their profession and said he wished he could stay and fight with them.

“I don’t see it as fleeing at all,” he said. “I see it as joining Canada, which is a target of Trump, just like Yale is a target of Trump.”