Climate change, gun violence, LGBTQ and abortion rights – the list of things young people in the US are currently concerned about is a long one. These are the issues that the arch-conservatives, some of whom are right-wing Republicans, are primarily attacking.
With the Trump era, the MAGA movement took off. MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again” – the slogan with which Donald Trump made it to the White House in 2017. He also wants to run again in the 2024 presidential election. To the shock of many young people in the country.
Gen Z is not a fan of Trump and his supporters
About 77 percent of Gen Z voters (born after 1996) opposed the Trump presidency in 2020, according to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center. Reason: Trump and his Republican allies are attacking the very issues that concern young people in the United States. So thinks political scientist Katja Muñoz of the German Association for Foreign Relations.
Topics such as stricter gun laws: children are shot at a Nashville elementary school, four partygoers are killed in a hail of bullets at a 16th birthday party. There have been more mass shootings in the US this year than days. The Gun Violence Archive recorded a total of 173 as of April 24. “It’s like America. And young people are no longer interested in that,” says Muñoz.
Gen Z does not feel represented in American politics
According to her, young people feel insufficiently represented in politics, for example in the US House of Representatives, where the average age is 58 years. The only Gen Z representative at the moment is 26-year-old Maxwell Frost from Florida. “Young people feel powerless about many things that are happening in the United States. In other words, no one represents their concerns,” says Muñoz.
That’s why the young people of the US want to be heard and are taking to the streets more, says Muñoz. ‘A new kind of activism has emerged among young people’, she explains further. In contrast, according to polls conducted by the Pew Research Center, in 2020, about 48 percent of baby boomers (born 1945-1964) thought Trump did well as president.
Gen Z primarily votes Democratic
This youth activism does not stop at the ballot box, with Republicans especially feeling the effects. According to the American news website FiveThirtyEight, Gen Z mainly votes Democratic.
Munoz says:
But the racist policies of the arch-conservative MAGA supporters apparently also upset Gen Z. Muñoz speaks here of “white supremacy”, which is on the rise in the US. A collective term for racist ideologies and social structures. Gen Z reflects the growing ethnic diversity of the American electorate.
According to the Pew Research Center, 75 percent of baby boomers are white, compared to 55 percent of Gen Z. In addition, 22 percent are Hispanics and 9 percent are baby boomers (as of 2020). “Looking forward, American society will continue to change and become even more diverse. It’s just an immigration country’, explains Muñoz. But that puts some people off.
Trump’s Republicans are fueling fears about America’s diverse society
The arch-conservative Republicans in particular take a negative view of this change, instilling fear in their older constituents. “The country is changing. It makes white Americans feel like they’re no longer a part of it,” religion professor Anthea Butler previously told Watson. They feared that migrants from Asia, South America and Eastern Europe would gain the upper hand.
And that will probably also be the case in future elections. After all, more and more young people are reaching the voting age of 18 and are rebelling in the polls against the ultra-conservative agenda of the Republicans, says Muñoz. These include young immigrants who are angry about how badly their parents have sometimes been treated. “In the beginning there is a lot of anger,” the expert explains.
More than half of Americans are millennials or younger, and they could influence future presidential elections, such as 2024 and 2028. During midterms in November, students flocked to the on-campus ballot boxes, resulting in long queues.
Youth turnout is on the rise in the US
GenZ activist Victor Shi posted numerous videos on his Twitter account. Recently, students at the University of Wisconsin once again had to wait a long time to vote in the Supreme Court elections. Shi was blown away by the high turnout.
NEW: These are students from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Clare, who are currently waiting in a long line to vote in the Supreme Court election. Young people are excited and coming out – and they will save Wisconsin. This is absolutely huge. pic.twitter.com/F3PE5Qv0VN
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 4, 2023
He writes on Twitter: Youth turnout at the University of Wisconsin Madison is up 240 percent since the last general election in Spring 2019. “It shows once again that the youth are not doing well – they want us rescue,” says Shi.
According to Muñoz, it is a race against time, which is why every election is currently so hard-fought. Under the motto: It’s about democracy, it’s about the future. Many issues are immediately politicized in the US.
The expert says:
Apparently, Trump Republicans also realize that this frustration could cost them future votes. That’s probably why they now want to make it harder for young American citizens to vote.
Republicans probably want to restrict elections for young people
“Republicans have devised a plan to limit college voting and mail-in voting,” Shi wrote on Twitter. The conclusion is: “Republicans are afraid of Gen Z and their response is to suppress our vote.” But according to Shi, they are messing with the wrong generation.
Holy shit. Republicans met last weekend and devised a plan to limit voting on college campuses and voting by mail, according to new reporting. Bottom line: Republicans are terrified of Gen Z and their response is to suppress our vote. They’re messing with the wrong generation.
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 20, 2023
According to the Washington Post, conservatives need to unite to thwart young voters, said Republican legal strategist and close Trump ally Cleta Mitchell. Among other things, voting on the university campus must be limited.
American journalist Brian Tyler Cohen posted Mitchell’s recording on Twitter. According to him, the turnout of student voters is ‘a big problem’, according to her. She calls for Gen Z to “fight” for voting rights.
Holy shit. A leading Republican legal strategist was just caught on a recording at the GOP donor retreat saying student voting is “a big deal” and urging them to “fight” Gen Z’s right to vote. (h/d @lawindsor) pic.twitter.com/99UmzKnFcD
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) April 20, 2023
“You can’t think of something like that,” Shi continued on Twitter. “Instead of listening to us and interacting with us, they make it difficult for us to vote. It’s embarrassing and won’t work.”
Clear declaration of war from Gen Z on the Republicans
Young Democrat Harry Sisson is sure: “Republicans are terrified of Generation Z.” On Twitter he writes:
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
