At the break of dawn on Nov. 6, the Associated Press declared Donald Trump the winner of Wisconsin, granting him ten electoral votes and placing him at a total of 277 — more than enough to secure the presidency. Although pollsters predicted a tight race between Kamala Harris and Trump, the latter held 69 electoral votes (as of Nov. 7) over the Democratic candidate in what became a comfortable Republican victory. Interestingly, the Democratic party saw a loss in their Gen Z voter turnout from the 2020 election to this year’s — Trump owes it to Gen Z to act on issues most pressing to us in his upcoming presidency.
1. Economy and Spending
Perception of the economy was without a doubt one of the biggest factors in Trump’s victory. When asked to describe the state of the economy, 68% of voters said it was “not so good” or “poor.” Young voters attempting to jumpstart various careers, establish stable housing, or even just purchase groceries for the week have felt the burden of increasing inflation and subsequent price increases. The causes of those increases include higher labor costs, but also environmental events and record corporate profits, complicating the issue. Although inflation is projected to decrease from 4.06% in 2023 to 3.1% in 2024, many Gen Z voters still feel that current economic strains will continue to impede their livelihoods. Economists point out that Trump’s economic plan may bring long-term relief but are unlikely to grant short-term relief, such as decreased grocery prices or lower mortgage rates. Trump has to increase focus on these short-term goals if he wants to gain the approval of Gen Z, an age group that needs a strong economic foundation to achieve success in the decades to come.
2. Abortion and Reproductive Health
Trump has not been quiet about his opposition to pro-choice safeguards. He claimed how he was “able to kill Roe v. Wade” in 2023. “Project 2025,” a set of conservative proposals that lay out what Trump and his allies seek to do with the White House, stated that the President should nationally end abortion access during his second term, including for exceptions like rape, incest, and life-threatening care. Despite his pushback against reproductive rights, Trump received more votes from young women in this year’s election than he did in 2020: Joe Biden held a 35-point lead over Trump among young women in 2020, but that number shrunk to a 24-point lead for Harris. Contradictingly, in some states where Trump won to win like Montana and Missouri, voters passed referendums that upheld abortion access and protection. Voters, specifically younger ones, have shown that they will support Trump for his other promises, but also expect abortion to remain untouched — the President must follow through on his constituents’ desires and ignore his parties’ aims in Project 2025, even if it isn’t what he exactly believes.
3. Climate Change
Increasingly hot temperatures well into the fall and damaging hurricanes have elevated climate change into many young voters’ primary concerns. The Pew Research Center found that 59% of U.S. adults under 30 believe that global climate change should be a top foreign policy priority for the government. Environmental activists want policies that will cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and promote reusable energy — changes that preserve hope for Gen Z’s future — but Trump has said he wants to boost fossil-fuel production and opposes environmentally-friendly sources like wind turbines and electric vehicles. While customers and investors have pressured energy companies to continue to move toward cleaner energy, Trump’s disapproval of climate policies and his administration’s goal of dismantling government offices associated with climate research, as documented in proposal Project 2025, conveys to Gen Z that the president does not have their best interests at heart. Validating his Gen Z voters would force Trump to reconsider his current stance on environmental policies and promote legislation to push for a healthier climate.
4. Student Debt
The price of pursuing higher education has increased by a worrying amount for many students. From 2010 to 2023, college tuition inflation rates have come out to an average of 3.63% annually, compounding every year. Students face direct impacts of ballooning tuition rates, arguing that the ability to attend their top school, or any institution for that matter, has become a major financial burden; even the thought of higher prices and foreseen debt instills stress and anxiety into countless students. Biden began multiple debt forgiveness programs to alleviate financial stresses from students as well as graduates, but Trump asserted that these initiatives were a “total catastrophe.” Trump will likely reduce or cut these debt forgiveness programs; if he follows through with that plan, he has to understand that his voters still depend on him to create accessible education opportunities. Trump must formulate and commit to a plan that will ease growing tuition rates and enable all students to reach higher education.
5. Immigration
Immigration is a deeply polarizing issue, especially among the American youth. Some argue that uncontrolled immigration causes U.S. citizens to lose significant employment opportunities and that borders must be increasingly restricted. Conversely, others cite the massive 100 billion that illegal immigrants pay in sales and payroll taxes in the U.S. and believe that the right’s arguments paint an incomplete picture. Instead, leftists advocate for more immigration court funding, a permanent end to the separation of children from parents at the border, and opportunities for groups to immigrate to the U.S. legally and contribute even more to the economy. Trump ran an anti-immigration campaign, calling for the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” higher militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border, and ideological screenings for immigrants to keep “non-democratic” thinkers out of the country. Despite these policies, Trump won 45% of the Latino vote in the past election — a record high for any Republican presidential candidate. Gen Z may disagree on how exactly to manage rising immigration rates, but young Americans must prioritize humanity in discussions regarding immigration. Intense anti-immigration rhetoric only works to foster apprehension between parties; Gen Z has to hold Trump accountable for such harsh language to prevent hate from further spreading in the U.S.
