Donald Trump inspires new dating site Maple Match for US-fleeing Americans to Canada

A new dating website is pledging to match Trump-fleeing Americans with Canadians looking for love, taking advantage of a growing number of voters who vowed to emigrate if the billionaire tycoon is elected.

In the words of its founders, Maple Match "makes it easy for Americans to find the ideal Canadian partner to save them from the unfathomable horror of a Trump presidency". Its newly launched website is currently offering would-be daters to sign up to a waiting list before the service is officially launched.

Founder Joe Goldman, from Austin, Texas, said recent Donald Trump victories in the race to become the next Republican party leader – and next President of the United States – had spurred him to set up the matchmaking business.

"With the current political situation in the United States, there are a number of Americans who are excited about the opportunity to find love and something meaningful in Canada," he told CBC News.

"Donald Trump's unfavourability ratings are really quite high. A lot of Americans are quite uneasy. And that's one of the reasons why now would be the right time to launch Maple Match."

The 25-year-old, who is also single, said, as of 10 May, more than 10,000 people had signed up to the Maple Match site, which included 2,500 Canadians.

Ever since Donald Trump announced he would run for president, voters in the US have been googling "how to move to Canada". His Super Tuesday success in March saw the number of searches skyrocket.

And earlier this year the island of Cape Breton on Canada's east coast began advertising itself as a tranquil refuge to frustrated anti-Trump Americans. The island, which is suffering a population decline, adopted the slogan 'If Trump Wins' while showcasing what it said was low housing prices and scenic views.

The pledge of US voters to leave their country should a certain candidate become president is nothing new. The same promise was made by some when George Bush Jr was elected in 2001.

A very similar service to Maple Match – called Marry a Canadian – also popped up when Bush became president. The site is no longer active.

While the reasons behind it are unknown, immigration data from the Canadian government during the Bush presidency shows the number of US citizens gaining permanent residency in Canada almost double.