Trump Targets Young Voters With Economic Rebirth Plan, Blasts Biden’s ‘Failed Presidency’

A supporter of Republican front-runner former President Donald Trump hold up signs while he delivers remarks during a campaign event in Claremont, New Hampshire, on Nov. 11, 2023. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

In a new op-ed, former President Donald Trump has strategically honed in on young American voters, unveiling an ambitious economic revival plan while sharply criticizing what he terms a “failed presidency” under President Joe Biden.

With less than a year to go until the 2024 presidential election, President Trump asserted in the Nov. 29 op-ed in Newsweek that his policies will address the economic challenges facing young people in the United States, while ushering in a new era of prosperity for them—and for all Americans.

“I Will Make America Great Again for Young People,” reads the headline (and promise) of President Trump’s missive, which comes amid recent polling that shows the former president ahead of the incumbent among voters aged 18 to 34.

“A clear sign that young Americans are rejecting Joe Biden’s reign of failure, incompetence, and corruption,” is how President Trump interpreted the latest polling data carried out by Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of NBC, showing that he’s leading President Biden 46 percent to 42 percent nationally among this demographic.

Triumphs of the Past

President Trump opened the piece by revisiting the economic successes of his term in office, highlighting the creation of what he said was the “the strongest and most prosperous economy in the history of the world.’

He said that, under his leadership, annual incomes went up by over $6,000, inflation was running at less than 2 percent, and the price of gasoline was significantly lower than today.

“Household net worth reached an all-time high, with the bottom 50 percent of American households seeing a 40 percent increase in their net worth,” he wrote.

Transitioning to the present, President Trump shifted his focus to the perceived consequences of the Biden administration’s economic agenda, arguing that young people have borne the brunt of its shortcomings.

Toll of Biden’s Policies

Claiming that the economy under the Trump presidency had never been better for America’s young people, the former president took aim at U.S. economic performance under President Biden.

“For the past three years, young people have borne the heavy costs of the failed Biden agenda: crippling inflation, soaring prices, skyrocketing interest rates, unaffordable housing, and escalating crime,” he wrote.

Citing crippling inflation and unaffordable housing, he painted a picture of a nation where real incomes have dwindled and home ownership has become increasingly elusive.

“Over the course of the Biden administration, real incomes have gone down by $7,400 per family. Gas prices reached as high as $7 a gallon in some places. Cumulative inflation is 18 percent. And mortgage rates are pushing a brutal seven percent—making home ownership out of reach for countless young Americans,” he added.

Impact on Life Choices

President Trump then dove into the social impacts of the economic challenges facing young Americans, arguing that many have postponed major life milestones under the Biden economy.

He cited studies indicating financial concerns as the key reason for individuals dropping out of school, as well as delaying marriages and family planning.

“Historically high numbers of young people are delaying marriage and children,” President Trump wrote. “According to a recent study, three quarters of Gen Z and Millennial couples believe it’s too expensive to get married today. A 2022 study found that financial concerns are the number one reason why Americans are dropping out of school.”

Green New Deal and Rising Costs

In the op-ed, the former president argued that, as the cost of living has spiked under President Biden, it has become more difficult for young people to afford new cars and their ability to enter the housing market has been stifled.

He took a critical stance on President Biden’s environmental policies, blaming the “Green New Deal agenda” for pushing up prices of new cars by nearly 30 percent since he left office.

“You practically have to be a rich person to afford a new car,” he wrote. “Because of higher interest rates and soaring prices under Biden, the typical car payment is now almost $750 a month.”

He argued that, instead of helping young people “confidently begin their lives, careers, and families,” President Biden is “crushing their dreams with debt, taxes, and inflation, and paving the way for a future of anger and despair.”

“Under Joe Biden, we are a nation in decline and rapidly losing the American Dream,” he claimed.

In the op-ed, President Trump pledged a return to prosperity, outlining a plan that includes tackling inflation, boosting domestic energy production, and reducing government spending.

Pledge to Young Voters

While addressing rising crime rates and violence in cities, President Trump vowed to restore law and order. He promised to empower law enforcement, secure the southern border, and combat drug addiction.

He also made a commitment to protect young people from what he labeled as “far-left content” that is being pushed on America’s young people in schools.

“To further protect young people, I will sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing far-left content on our children,” he wrote.

Seeking to position himself as the champion of a prosperous, secure, and united America, President Trump asserted that young voters will play a key role in ending what he called President Biden’s “failed presidency” and reclaiming the greatness of the nation.

“American voters have it within their power to quickly return our country to peace, prosperity, and strength—and no one will benefit from bringing that change to our nation’s capital more than young people,” he wrote.

“That’s why next November, tens of millions of young Americans will be casting their vote to end Joe Biden’s failed presidency, and to finish the job of making America great again,” he added.