Why Young People Are Turning Their Backs on the Democratic Party

The media is losing their mind—and young people are waking up to the truth. The future of politics is being rewritten as we speak.

Let’s get real for a second. I don’t normally talk about things like this, but this matters so much I needed to roll up my sleeves. Young people are flocking from the Democratic Party faster than ever, and it’s not just about a generational shift in political views, it’s about something so much deeper. So let’s dive in! 🎧

Here’s 1 Big Idea I’m chewing on, 2 Big Questions for you, and 3 Stories I’m reading & watching.

1 Big Idea I’m chewing on:

Why Young People Are Ditching the Democratic Party Faster Than Kamala Harris Running from the Press 🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️

There’s a lot of Youtubers and Tiktokers in this space who always brand themselves as “Politics from the Gen Z Perspective” and I always hated that—SO MUCH. How are you going to get up there and have the audacity to speak for an entire generation? The nerve of these people, honestly. But today, I wanted to give you my “Gen Z Perspective” on this topic because I actually believe this is incredibly important. Why are young people becoming more and more conservative? Numbers don’t lie, so I really don’t need to try to argue that point, but I will share some of my personal perspective here.

Young people were sold a bill of goods growing up. We were constantly told that if we went to college and got a degree that our life would be easier. We’d get a good job, be able to afford a nice home, and live ‘the American dream’. Well guess what? In today’s world, that’s all it is, a dream. I went to school, worked hard, got multiple degrees, graduated magna cum laude, and most employers never cared. Blame whatever you want here: the pandemic, the job market, etc., I’m just telling you what things are like from our end today. People my age are still working hard to land ‘the job’, while our parents at the same age were already settled in their career, had a house, and just started a family. Things aren’t the same, and we need to stop pretending that they are. The first step of solving any problem is realizing there is one. Young people cannot afford to live.

I also need to add that I’m a huge believer in personal responsibility as well. I don’t blame anyone else for the circumstances that I or other young people are in. Even though I’m not responsible for the terrible housing market, I am responsible for working through it. Now back to the newsletter. 👇🏼

The Democratic Party time and again has failed to provide the clarity, energy, and direction that young people crave. Young people feel disconnected from a party that’s so caught up in its own silly rhetoric while failing to tackle the real issues they care about. Let’s talk about the national debt, building a stronger economy, secure borders, being able to afford a home, these are the issues I’ve seen so many young people care about. That’s why so many of them threw their support behind RFK Jr. initially, because he was talking about the issues that were being ignored by everyone else in DC.

If someone’s in their early twenties and they’re hearing Kamala Harris talk about how our economy is strong and inflation is virtually nonexistent, but this 20 something can’t afford to pump gas or buy eggs, they don’t just feel ‘gaslit’, they feel their perception of reality being violated. And this is precisely why young people were running to the right this election season, because unlike Kamala Harris, Trump didn’t beat around the bush, he identified the problem and guaranteed solutions. Whether it’s economic freedom, free speech, or failing to answer the simple question like, “What is a woman” young people are sick of being let down from the Democratic platform. Young people want to be able to afford the life that we saw our parents live, and that future just doesn’t seem to be part of the imagination of the Democratic Party.

If I could zoom out just a bit, I also think young people are ditching the party for an additional reason: the media. This is going to be the most Gen Z thing I’ve said in a while: the media is so toxic. The media ecosystem that is shaping the views of the Democratic Party just doesn’t align with the future that so many young people imagine. Which is why more than ever young people are consuming news from more independent sources and podcasts. Places like YouTube, X, and Substack just seem to have the voices that resonate with people at a human level. In mainstream media, anchors are talking AT you, but in this new independent era of news and media production, creators are talking WITH you. This is why YouTubers, TikTokers, and X-ers are becoming the go-to trusted voices in a landscape where traditional media is losing its juice (and their audience).

I know this was supposed to be about why young people are turning their backs on the Democratic Party, but the truth is, the Democratic Party turned its back on young people.

2 Questions for you:

1. Why do you think young people are abandoning the Democratic Party? Is the party simply ‘out of touch’ or is there something bigger going on here?

2. How is the rise of independent media (and the decline of traditional media) influencing how young people engage with politics? What does this shift mean for the future of politics?

(Give me your take on these questions in the comment section! 👇🏼)

And 3 stories I’m reading & watching:

• Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle Education Dept. by UNBIASED Politics

• Michael Knowles Predicts 2028 Election Winner on Net Positive with John Crist

• Drake Bell and Josh Peck reunite for a 2 part series on Josh Peck’s Good Guys Podcast

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