After 100 days of Donald Trump’s second presidency, young voters say they’re feeling the impact of his policy choices.
A panel of Gen Z voters joined GBH News’ Politics IRL to share their thoughts on how they think the presidency is going so far, and whether the country is headed in the right direction.
“I truly believe that the way that this second Trump administration is going is going to have negative ramifications throughout American history,” said Chukwuemeka Osuagwu, a 26-year-old independent who didn’t vote for Trump. He cited concerns about Trump’s battles with the courts, ruling by executive order and aggressive immigration enforcement.
Cameron Costa, a 23-year-old Democrat, agreed that the country is headed in the wrong direction, noting concerns about cuts to the Department of Education and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, plus economic volatility.
“America has a lot of bad history in certain areas, and I think this is just one of those areas of bad history,” Costa said.
However, 21-year-old conservatives Anthony Cutler and Harry Murphy, who both voted for Trump, said the country is headed in the right direction.
Cutler said he supports Trump’s policies on immigration and the reversal of DEI practices, noting that Trump has smart advisors that can reel him in when needed.
“There’s many accomplishments that he could tout. He’s a proven, capable leader, and that gives me hope for the future of this country,” he said.
Murphy said he hopes Trump is moving people toward conservatism and could help end the wars in Ukraine and Palestine.
Their positivity about Trump didn’t come without drawbacks though.
Cutler opposed Trump’s handling of tariffs, and Murphy opposed some of Trump’s cabinet picks.
“I have serious issues with some of his cabinet appointments. I think Pam Bondi is a disgrace, I think the same can be said of Mike Waltz,” Murphy said.
Both Cutler and Murphy opposed Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying they wanted more transparency.
Despite the positives and negatives surrounding the administration, all four participants were hopeful about their own personal futures, setting their sights on future education and career goals.
The participants echoed some of the results captured by a recent Harvard Youth Poll, which showed just 15% of young adults age 18-29 think the country is headed in the right direction, while 51% of the 2,000 people surveyed said it is headed down the wrong track. Fewer than a third of respondents said they approved of Trump.
Watch the full conversation by clicking the video at the top of the page.
In the Politics IRL video series, we give young voters the opportunity to sit face to face and talk openly about the topics that motivated them to vote — or not — in the 2024 general election. They choose what to discuss. We get to see their politics — in real life. If you are a young voter, or know of one who may want to participate in our series, please connect with lead producer Alexi Cohan via email at alexi_cohan@gbh.org.
