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Recent polls have found something surprising when it comes to young voters: More of us like former President Donald Trump than President Joe Biden. These polls come in stark contrast to the stereotype of young people as leaning progressive and being at the helm of the movement to combat climate change, or the anti-Israel protests. What explains the fact that so many young people, myself included, find ourselves drawn to the Republican nominee for president?
The answer in a word is rebellion.
Older people probably have a negative association with the word, but for us young folks, rebelling often stems from the desire to right a wrong. Of course, the idea of young people rebelling to the Right might seem like an odd departure from things like the counterculture of the 1960s. But these days, being conservative is its own kind of counterculture, and for many younger Americans, leaning Right is an expression of skepticism in the face of the complacency of the older ruling class—which has always been the defining political characteristic of youth.
In the past, when the ruling class was more uniformly conservative, particularly on the social front, young people saw a Left-wing revolt as the way to express themselves. Today, this homogeneity is gone. Large contingents of the ruling class—including President Biden—are unabashedly on the Left, which is why our political skepticism has the opportunity to express itself on the Right.
Of course, it's not all about skepticism. When interviewed about their support of Trump at a Wisconsin rally, young people identified the economy as their primary reason for voting for the former president. Many went on to express how inflation's effect on everyday goods was "more salient" to them than abstract economic figures, like stock index levels and unemployment numbers, touted ad nauseum by the Biden Administration. All of this is despite Biden's attempts to woo voters in our age group with student debt relief.
Their answers echo the economic skepticism felt by new, young voters in the 1980s who ended up bolstering support for Reagan and Bush. And it exposes the pragmatism of young Americans. We understand that we are the future of the country and will have to inherit whatever is left over. The stakes for us are much higher than it is for the establishment, justifying rebellion or, specifically in our case, doing what for many is unimaginable: voting for the evil orange man.
This effect has shown itself even to be true among young Black voters, too. Traditionally a reliable voting block for Democrats, Black voters cite economic concerns in poll after poll as their leading issue—especially Black men. As a result of the terrible economy, Biden has sunk in their estimation, and Trump has risen, nearly doubling his support from 14 percent in 2020 to an estimated 23 percent now. Our generation is starting to learn that, no, voting for Trump does not mean "you ain't Black."
The Democrats want you to believe that Gen Z is simply being duped by Trump because we don't remember him—even though he has been in the political arena for the entire time many of us, myself included, have been politically conscious. Or they say that we are ignorant. Of course, as with any generation, many of us are. But especially after coming to age during the COVID era, we are a unique people with unique problems and unique perspectives. Our warming up to Trump is part and parcel of a general skepticism that our elders would do well not to ignore, insult, or wish away.
It's time to face it: Being a rebel in 2024 means voting for Trump.
Noah Jenkins serves as the chairman of the Tennessee College Republican Committee and is a junior at Vanderbilt University studying History and Economics. He also has been featured on Fox News Digital.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
