The Toll of Trump: Young Adults Tell All

You’ve probably noticed a lot of gray hair at Indivisible demonstrations and meetings. What about the younger people? Are they involved at all? Are they even interested in our political climate? Here’s what we found out when we talked with some of them.

None of us know what’s ahead, and uncertainty about the future is a huge issue for young adults, especially when it comes to jobs, income, and the cost of living.

Sammi’s working at a day care center for now and wondering about what’s next. “Folks are graduating right now into one of the worst job markets we’ve seen. I think that it can be hard for others to grasp how significant that is.”

Margaret says she has a good job in accounting. And yet, she wonders, “Can I ever own a house? Can I ever have kids? With the cost of everything going up, is there going to be a ceiling we hit?”

And Lily tells us she’s an executive assistant in telecom instead of the publishing position she’d hoped for, because that’s what presented itself. “Jobs are few and far between, and they’re only diminishing, really. The job market’s just bad.”

But then there’s Joseph, working in marketing. “I think me and my kids and my kids’ kids, we’ll have a better quality of life than my great-grandfather. I think overall, life is getting better even for the less fortunate.” 

Of course, he also notes, “I know that’s not exactly in line with a lot of people my age.”

Artificial Intelligence Contributes to the Uncertainty

Lily says AI is one reason the job market is so nerve-wracking. “With the layoffs at meta and Oracle,” she says, “even if you’re one of the people developing AI, you’re not safe.” What about everyone else? “AI development is happening, you know. It’s kind of like get on board or get left behind.”

Margaret doesn’t think AI will take her auditing job but says, “it definitely poses a threat to bookkeeping, tax work and financial reporting.” 

She’s apprehensive about “the water data centers use, how much it’s driving up electricity bills and then the noise pollution because they’re building these in residential areas.”

That worries Sammi too. “I genuinely have concerns about what our water supply will be like. If folks continue to use and invest in AI in the ways they are now, I don’t know what will happen. That scares me a lot.”

Young Women Worry About Certain Rhetoric From MAGA

Lily calls women’s rights issues “nerve-wracking.” Men, she says, “don’t have to think about the things we do when it comes to reproductive rights.”

Beyond that, DEI rollbacks worry her and her friends as they begin building their careers. They’re concerned about companies being “allowed to legitimately be, like we didn’t hire you because you’re a young woman and we’re scared you're going to get married and get pregnant.”

Margaret points to Republicans promoting bigger families to create more Americans. “You can’t really say you want more of a population increase,” she says, “when you’re like trying women for murder if a pregnancy goes the wrong way. The villainization of women is just freaking me out.”

Will We See Gen Z and Millennials at the Polls Come November?

Our conversations suggest young people will be taking their concerns to the ballot box, even though they may not be involved in political activity apart from that.

Lily says her grandparents have been at No Kings rallies, but she “doesn’t go to political protests” because “I don’t really feel like it has that much of an impact.”

Margaret cites time and professional pressure for sitting out the direct action. She does vote though, and she says, “I’m doing my research, talking about it with people…I won’t shut up about it and I know it’s annoying.”

She’s not contributing to campaigns, and she has a message for the candidates. “Quit asking me for money. A lot of people my age are very much like, I don’t want to have to pay for you to understand that I want you to do X, Y, and Z. If you get elected, I expect you to act on my behalf and do your job.”

Joseph hasn’t done any demonstrations either. He does vote though, even in mid-term elections like the one coming up. 

And Sammi’s more of an activist. Beyond going to the polls, she’s been involved in a few demonstrations. She and some friends went to a No Kings rally in cheerleading outfits to promote “joyful resistance.”

And she’s hoping more people her age will join in that sort of effort. Her feelings about politics in general in 2026? 

Sammi says “half of it is YIKES! And the other half is…let’s get moving!”

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