Gen Z doesn't want Trump. We can't let GOP's hate dissuade us from our goals. [View all]

Sara Pequeño

When Donald Trump was elected to his first presidential term in 2016, I was stunned.

In hindsight, I don’t know why I was so surprised. I was a liberal in the red state of North Carolina. Nearly three-fourths of my home county went for Trump. I knew the way that he had infiltrated online discourse and knew plenty of people my age who voted for him.

Heading into his second term, I felt nothing. I knew exactly what to expect. It doesn’t stop the dread I now feel on a regular basis.

There seems to be no end to the sadistic tactics of Trump’s second administration. In the past few weeks alone, he has tried to force trans people out of public life, sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement to terrorize the immigrant community, threatened to upend the ceasefire in Gaza, and made economic decisions that will cause the prices of everyday goods to rise.

I’m part of Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012 ‒ a generation that largely had no say when Trump was elected the first time. In 2020, we rejected him.

Even in 2024, adults under 30 voted for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris more than any other age group. We don't want him. We've never wanted him.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/02/10/trump-divided-gen-z/78296366007/

I'm not Gen Z, but posting this on behalf of my grandchildren. It's a powerful op-ed.