Former President Donald Trump is making a direct pitch to younger voters in an op-ed published by Newsweek, citing a recent survey showing him winning a significant portion of them instead of Democratic President Joe Biden, even though the demographic historically skews left.
“With less than one year to go until Election Day, the polls show that we are beating Joe Biden by wide margins both nationally and in the battleground states—and young people are a major part of the reason why. A recent NBC News poll found that we are leading Biden 46 percent to 42 percent nationally among voters ages 18 to 34—a clear sign that young Americans are rejecting Joe Biden’s reign of failure, incompetence, and corruption,” Trump’s op-ed begins.
Trump went on to argue that during his term, he managed to help create the “strongest and most prosperous economy” in the world’s history, claiming that, on average, annual incomes rose by some $6,000 with low inflation under 2 percent and gas prices averaging around $1.87 per gallon in many parts of the country. Household wealth, he said, also rose to an all-time high, with the bottom 50 percent of earners boosting their net worth by around 40 percent.
“The U.S. economy had never been better for young Americans, but 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,” Trump wrote. “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.”
The former president also wrote that during his term, the average 30-year mortgage rate fell to about 2.65 percent, which meant “the median-income American family could afford a mortgage.”
“Yet thanks to Biden’s disastrous economy, interest rates have skyrocketed, making home-ownership out of reach for too many Americans, especially young Americans who in previous generations would be looking to start a family,” he wrote. “As a result, historically high numbers of young people are delaying marriage and children. According to a recent study, three quarters of Gen Z and Millennial couples believe it’s too expensive to get married today.”
He added: “Sadly, many younger Americans are putting their lives on hold because they think the Biden economy leaves them no choice.”
Trump said that Biden’s “war on American energy” is also adding dramatically to the cost of living. He said Biden’s “Green New Deal agenda” has led to a push for expensive electric vehicles and higher overall car prices, now averaging about $50,000. “You practically have to be a rich person to afford a new car,” Trump wrote. “Because of higher interest rates and soaring prices under Biden, the typical car payment is now almost $750 a month.”
“Instead of helping our young people confidently begin their lives, careers, and families, Joe Biden is crushing their dreams with debt, taxes, and inflation, and paving the way for a future of anger and despair,” Trump wrote.
If he wins next year’s election, Trump promised to quickly reverse Biden’s policies he says are making life harder and more expensive for young Americans.
“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,” Trump concluded.
