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Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan's young Trump voters stand by their man
In January, Donald Trump became the oldest man ever inaugurated president and he owed his comeback win in part, to young voters. Kamala Harris still won a majority of voters ages 18-29, but Trump narrowed his loss among young women from 2020 and won a majority of young men, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. One hundred days into Trump's second term, young men who voted for him seem happy with his performance, despite some hiccups. "I'd give him an A-minus," said Evan Hubbs, 20, of Birmingham, who cast his first presidential vote in November for Trump. "I think it's going pretty good overall." Hubbs is studying political science at Iowa State University. He said the reduction in border crossings from Mexico and the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain migrants arrested for crimes, count as wins for Trump. He acknowledged that the economy has been volatile in the wake of Trump's tariffs, but he's convinced things will settle down soon. "The stock market has been a little bit of a roller coaster, but I think there is a solid chance that we finish out the rest of this quarter on a high note and I think that it's bigger than just the stock market," he said. Hubbs said Trump has not been able to unify the country but gives him credit for trying. He said he would like to see Trump cooperate more with America's allies abroad. "There's certain things that we need to cooperate on, and we need to work with our partners," he said. Despite his age, Krish Mathrani, 18, of Troy, has been politically active in conservative politics for years. He parlayed that activism into getting elected youth chair of the Michigan Republican Party at the state party convention in February. He also cast his first presidential vote for Trump in November and, like Hubbs, he gives Trump an A-minus. "I' think he is following through with his promises," Mathrani said. "He said he would do the reciprocal tariffs thing, he did just that. He said he would do his economic policy, his executive orders are exactly what he promised, with boys in women's locker rooms, with the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), ending DEI, with everything. It has been exactly what he promised." Mathrani also credits Trump for stricter enforcement at the Southern border. Mathrani's parents and grandparents all immigrated to the U.S. legally from India in the early 2000s. "I know how long they had to wait to come here. I know the process, and I know how much they appreciate it," Mathrani said. "When my family saw the amount of people who were coming here the wrong way, the illegal way, we felt mistreated. We felt it was unfair, which is why that is a big issue close to my heart." Mathrani acknowledged that the stock market has been rocky, but he's convinced it will turn for the better "The majority of Americans, they understand that this is a short term thing, and President Trump knows how to bring the economy back," Mathrani said. "He did that in 2016 when we're doing amazing before COVID happened." Not all young voters are happy with Trump. Loren Maxwell, 19, of West Bloomfield, is studying early childhood education at Oakland Community College. She said she voted for Trump in November, but acknowledges she had not researched the candidates or the parties well at the time. "I felt it was a little more obvious to see what Trump had in mind at the time, and the promises he was making seemed really great," she said. "But I feel like I should have done more research because, it's really hard to see where it's going. The future is really unsure." More: Whitmer, Nessel have chosen different rallying cries since Trump took office Maxwell said that Trump talked a lot about the economy and she thought there would be more support for people who lost their jobs during COVID-19 or were struggling to find work. As someone who hopes to teach one day, Maxwell said she doesn't like Trump's efforts to close down the Department of Education. She also has been disappointed with the tariffs because she shops online frequently for things like clothes and CDs. "I purchase a lot of things online from different countries," she said. "And this tariff is, well, I see a lot of websites talking about having to not ship here because it's too much. Like no one's gonna make a profit off of it, because the fees are gonna be so high." Maxwell wouldn't say that she regretted her vote, but said that she wishes she'd done more research before voting. She still hopes things change for the better. "I'm keeping an open mind, but I am leaning toward a little bit of disappointment," she said. "But only the future can tell where it's all gonna end up." Tyler Soncrainte, 25, of Waterford, has made up his mind. He's happy he voted for Trump. "I've really enjoyed seeing him develop DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and show how much our federal government is continuously wasting our tax dollars every year," Soncrainte said. "I think that he has a pretty strategic approach to most of what he does and that makes sense." Like Mathrani, Soncrainte has been an active Republican for years and even ran unsuccessfully for a township office in Waterford. He said that he's happy to see stricter enforcement along the Southern border and he's willing to be patient through the stock market swings. He would like to see more progress on foreign affairs. "I was hoping that we would have more resolution with the conflict in the Middle East, as well as with Russia and Ukraine," Soncrainte said. "Unfortunately, we haven't solved those yet. I think he's making progress toward it, but I would like to see more peace talks and whatnot with the rest of the world." More: Details released about Trump's 100-days rally in Macomb County on April 29 Soncrainte said Trump hasn't been able to make much progress unifying the country, but he blames much of that on a certain percentage of the population that will never accept Trump. Overall, Soncrainte said he is happy with his vote and with what he has seen so far from Trump. "I love having a president where his initiatives feel as if he is putting America first ... you know, reviving the American dream," he said. "Sometimes you'll hear stuff that isn't so pretty about him, but he's a complete changeup of what we had the last four years, and that's exactly what I voted for." Contact John Wisely: jwisely@ On X: @jwisely This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Young Trump voters in Michigan stand by their man 100 days in
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gen Z Has a Complex Relationship with Democracy, Survey Reveals
A nationally representative poll designed to gauge Gen Z's attitude toward democracy contradicts a popularly held belief that the generation born roughly between 1997 and 2012 doesn't care about it at all. While a majority agree on democracy's importance, many feel unsure how to effectively participate in it or preserve it. For some, the frustration has taken a concerning turn: 11% said political violence is sometimes necessary to achieve progress. And while the poll's creators expected to find significant variance based on race, gender and location — rural versus urban, for example — other factors, including socioeconomic status and access to civics education, played a major role in shaping young peoples' beliefs. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter For example, those who received less support for their civic development 'are less committed to a democracy that they may not feel prepared to participate in or feel they are a part of,' the report notes. 'They're not completely disaffected,' said research specialist Deborah Apau of Gen Z. 'The problem is that while they do believe in democracy, they don't feel that democracy as they experience it today is delivering for them. It's that disconnection that's really causing the issue.' The poll was conducted between Nov. 14-26, 2024, just after a historically contentious presidential election in which the youth vote was heavily scrutinized. The results were released earlier this month by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University and Protect Democracy, a nonprofit 'dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom.' The polling firm Ipsos collected the data. The findings might help explain Donald Trump's popularity among young voters in his third run: nearly half under 30 supported the Republican nominee, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. While he had massive appeal for young white men, he also fared well with young Latino men, who split their vote between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. Related The CIRCLE and Protect Democracy poll, which measured Gen Z's beliefs and perspectives on democracy, civil rights and political violence, along with their support for bipartisan cooperation and feelings toward opposing political groups, revealed that young people crave bipartisanship and compromise. Nearly 4 out of 5 say leaders of opposing parties should work together and 65% believe people with deeply opposing political views can find common ground. Likewise, only 17% agree that those who hold political opinions different from their own are 'wrong.' Nearly three quarters of its 1,286 respondents said elected leaders should not be able to go above the law. The poll's findings are landing at a time when many see the country as on the verge of a constitutional crisis, with Trump pushing the bounds of executive power and at least one federal court judge finding grounds last week to hold his administration in contempt. In an effort to engage young people, the organizations recommend they be brought into the democratic process, that the nation invest in civic learning, and that those wishing for Gen Z to boost their participation acknowledge their diversity and create opportunities for collaboration and collective action that leverages their strengths. Related The poll notes that young people's lives were shaped by economic instability, history-making political shifts, a proliferation of school shootings, the rise of social media and COVID. A full 81% of respondents acknowledged the value and meaning of free and fair elections. The survey found, too, that 63% had a 'passive appreciation' of democracy, meaning they trust government institutions, have a high regard for democratic principles, and reject authoritarianism and political violence. But, the study's authors note, their satisfaction and trust may be leading to complacency as this group generally does not take political action outside of voting. Thirty-one percent had a 'dismissive detachment' from democracy: They didn't express through the survey that they value core democratic principles and processes. They have low confidence in the system as it is working now and demonstrate higher support for authoritarian governance compared to their peers in other categories. Pollsters note this group has 'the lowest levels of media literacy, suggesting that they are often consuming political information without the ability or willingness to confirm its source, truthfulness, or intent.' They also reported little confidence in their ability to be effective political actors. Seven percent of Gen Z participants had a 'hostile dissatisfaction' with democracy. While they value its core principles, they are 'highly displeased' with it as they are experiencing it today, authors note. Despite — or perhaps because of — their frustration, they are the most politically active within this age group and express the highest support for political violence. The report notes, too, they are highly polarized 'and their frustrations with the current system run so deep that they are more willing to consider extreme measures to achieve political goals.' They are by far the most likely to participate in other forms of civic action like volunteering or taking on leadership roles and are willing to fight for the democracy they want. The report notes they score highest of all in media literacy, 'which suggests they may be more informed about the state of democracy than some of their peers.' Related They are also more ideologically liberal than those in the other two groups and are more likely to be queer compared to the passive appreciation cohort. 'As knowledgeable actors with a respect for democratic values and a willingness to actively participate through both traditional and non-traditional forms of civic action, these youth who feel a hostile dissatisfaction with our democracy are also a powerful force for reshaping it,' the report observes. Sara Suzuki, senior researcher at CIRCLE, was surprised by the size of the first group defined by its 'passive appreciation.' While she's concerned about their relative inaction, she sees opportunity for them 'to do something about the problems they see instead of sort of letting it happen.' Apau, of Protect Democracy, said even the group that supports violence as a means of change still believes in democratic ideals — including its ability to function well. 'They feel they've exhausted their options in terms of participating in things like voting and protests and they're not able to secure the responses that they want,' she said. Apau said it's important to understand Gen Z and give them the tools they need, 'so they're resourced, they have the knowledge they need to move throughout the world later in life and in adulthood — and understand how systems work.'
