Gen Z’s Growing Turn Toward Donald Trump After the 2024 Election

In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, younger voters delivered the strongest Republican youth turnout since 2008, propelling Donald Trump to a notable share of the Gen Z electorate. The shift was highlighted by a New York magazine cover that labeled the emerging cohort of young Maga supporters as the “cruel kids’ table.”

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Analysts describe two sub-cohorts: “Gen Z 1.0,” the older half who grew up with events such as the Parkland shooting, climate-change activism and the 2008 financial crisis, and “Gen Z 2.0,” the younger half whose political outlook was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation, and Trump’s anti-establishment messaging. Political scientist David Schultz notes that “Donald Trump, the Covid pandemic, and the social isolation associated with it have been major influences.” [q1]

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• A 2025 poll found just over 50 % of respondents aged 21 and under viewed Trump favorably, versus 46 % of older Gen Zers (those now up to age 30).

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• Support for Democrats fell among men aged 18-22, while it rose by 14 percentage points among older Gen Z men.

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These figures suggest a pronounced generational cleavage, with younger members leaning more heavily toward Trump and older members maintaining more progressive positions.

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Commentators such as Raquel Debono, organizer of “Make America Hot Again” parties, observe that many younger Gen Zers feel the American Dream is unattainable and blame immigrants or other scapegoats for their economic anxieties.

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• “Donald Trump, the Covid pandemic, and the social isolation associated with it have been major influences,” — David Schultz, political scientist

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• “The 2024 election suggested that younger voters temporarily shifted toward Donald Trump rather than Kamala Harris, largely because of economic and political frustration,” — David Schultz, political scientist

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