Jeremiah Poff writes for the Washington Examiner about the political leanings of young Americans.
It wasn’t that long ago that the phrase “the children are our future” was a source of consternation among Republicans who believed young people were overwhelmingly embracing the Democratic Party. No one told that to President-elect Donald Trump, who has found a new fanbase with Generation Z.
A new poll from CBS and YouGov has some pretty remarkable results. Among respondents under the age of 30, a solid majority of 57% said they are either happy or satisfied with the election results that sent Trump back to the White House, 56% said they are optimistic or excited about what he will do as president, and 65% said they approve of the way the president-elect is handling his transition.
The poll results show an improvement in Trump’s support among the 18-29-year-olds at the ballot box, which was itself an improvement from his previous campaigns for president. According to exit poll data from the Associated Press, Trump’s support among the youth in the electorate was at 46%, the best performance for a Republican presidential candidate with the demographic since former President George W. Bush.
Fueled by a never-ending cascade of memes, viral moments, hilarious quotes, and a new social acceptance, the youth are feeling Trumpy and have given the Republican Party hope that Gen Z is not a drone generation of liberal activists and may actually be on their side after all, as long as the party can reach them.
Over the past eight years, Gen Z has been through a rough time. The cost of living has soared, their dreams of owning a home seem a faraway possibility, COVID-19 wrecked their college experience, and social isolation left them feeling depressed and lonely. A significant portion of these things occurred under the watch of President Joe Biden.
