Before the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, Generation Z was described as “woke,” “overly progressive” or “just a bunch of snowflakes.” The election results proved the opposite.

Donald Trump’s second presidential victory could not have been possible without the help of 18-30-year-old voters. An NBC News exit poll found that the 47th President earned the largest portion of young voters by any Republican presidential candidate since 2008.

Why is that?

The economy. Over 80 percent of young voters claimed the economy as the top issue of the election. No matter what social issue was on the ballot, nothing trumped the emptiness in Gen Z’s wallets. This is true for college students preparing for the real world, like myself.

We wanted an affordable cost of living.

We wanted low inflation.

We wanted a great job market.

We wanted lower taxes and regulations.

We got that.

It took the severity of the current state of the economy to cause Gen Z to rise up and win the election for Trump.vWhat should Gen Z be described and labeled as now? A fitting adjective would be aware.

Just as the GOP was aware of the real issues affecting millions of Americans, 18-30-year-old voters were aware of what is going on in the country. Gen Z went against what the mainstream media and the democratic party thought was best for them, and went to what they knew was best for them and their nation.

Moving forward to the 2026 midterm elections, Gen Z will continue to be a pivotal demographic to candidates looking to move the needle in key congressional races in battleground states.