America
Gen Z Financial Implosion Imperils MAGA Movement
Young Americans’ flirtation with President Trump could end in a nasty divorce over affordability.
T BY DAVID A. PATTEN
he race is on, and the outcome will decide wheth- er the populist conserva- tive movement in America
thrives or dies. So declared Charlie Kirk just 50
days before his assassination. “I think President Trump is unique-
ly suited to fix it,” said Kirk. “He has to fix it. “Can we reorder the economic real-
ity of under-30s before a dark political radicalization sets in?” Kirk issued that clarion call on
Tucker Carlson’s podcast in July, long before young voters overwhelm- ingly supported Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani to be New York City’s new mayor. Kirk’s wake-up call was prophetic.
Pollsters warn that unless conserva- tives quickly address the affordability
24 NEWSMAX | JANUARY 2026
crisis that has reduced many Gen Zers to living in their parents’ basements, their flirtation with Donald Trump and MAGA could end in a nasty divorce. Among the indicators that the
under-30 crowd is in serious economic distress:
According to a July survey by the
National Cooperative Services Corpo- ration, only 28% of Gen Zers expect the economy to strengthen this year. Most cite the cost of living and fear of unem- ployment as their primary worries. A Cengage Group survey reported
that a third of 2025 college graduates remain unemployed, and only 30% have obtained full-time jobs related to their degree fields. According to the National Associa-
tion of Realtors’ 2025 Home Buyers report, in just the past five years, the median age of first-time homebuyers has risen from 33 to an all-time high
of 40. Historically, the median age for first-time buyers was in their late 20s. The Infographics Show reports that
baby boomers enjoyed a stunning 86% more purchasing power in their 20s than Gen Z does today. Among the factors that have made
life barely affordable for millions of younger Americans: the COVID-19 lockdowns, spiraling rent, skyrocket- ing tuition bills, post-Obama health- care costs, and Biden-era inflation. Following Democrats’ gains in last
year’s off-year elections, pundits and pollsters say conservatives must devel- op and institute genuine affordability solutions — fast. Otherwise, the same youths who
cast ballots for Trump in 2024 are like- ly to embrace politicians who support radical policies that most Americans would have dismissed as preposter- ous only a generation ago — social- ized medicine, guaranteed minimum income, and free public transportation. InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery tells Newsmax that Trump’s
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