What comes to mind when you hear the word “Republican”? What comes to mind when you hear the word “Republican”? “Free market” Benedict, 24, Neb., white, Repub. “Traditionalist” Stephen, 25, Ore., white, Dem. “Business-minded” Zachary, 25, Mo., white, indep. Opinion America in focus ‘It’s One Big Club, and We’re Just Not in It’: These 10 Gen Z Trump Voters Want to See More of a Focus on the Middle Class July 16, 2026 Share full article “The way I view the presidential vote is it’s just two wings of the same bird. It’s one big club, and we’re just not in it,” one participant in Times Opinion’s latest focus group said. “I think the billionaires are always going to have one another’s side, no matter what.”That’s a sentiment often expressed in Opinion focus groups, and this one, made up of 10 members of Generation Z who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, was no exception.Coming from a variety of backgrounds and holding an array of views on how Mr. Trump is doing in his second term — some were pretty satisfied, while some were pretty disappointed — our participants agreed that in general, American politicians have focused too much on wealthier people and older generations.Prices, job insecurity and doubts about being able to afford housing and having children are all weighing on these voters. Still, most of them emphasized the importance of capitalism and individual fiscal restraint.A few participants praised Mr. Trump’s immigration actions, while others took issue with foreign policy decisions or a perception of corruption around prediction markets. That’s probably not enough to convince them to vote blue in November; several called the Democratic Party too socialist, irresponsible or overly inclusive. For now, participants want to see Mr. Trump focus more on the economy, especially for middle- and working-class voters — and for younger people, too.“Please don’t forget about folks who voted for you,” one participant said to the president, “the majority who are maybe not the wealthiest, or maybe not super poor, just the middle-class folks.” By Adrian J. Rivera, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Katherine Miller Mr. Rivera is an associate staff editor in Opinion. Ms. Anderson is a pollster. Ms. Miller is an editor in Opinion. Participants Alvin 24, N.Y., Republican, Asian, engineer Benedict 24, Neb., Republican, white, law clerk Caleb 24, Maine, independent, white, management consultant Christian 25, Tenn., Republican, Latino, curriculum adviser Heather 23, Va., Republican, Asian, dog walker, tutor Jake 22, N.Y., Republican, white, analyst Kim 25, Va., Republican, white, medical scribe Olivier 20, N.J., Republican, white, student Stephen 25, Ore., Democrat, white, analyst Zachary 25, Mo., independent, white, scientist Transcript Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson Do you think that our country right now is headed in the right direction or the wrong direction? Alvin, you’re the only person who says the country is headed in the right direction. Tell me why. Alvin, 24, N.Y., Republican, Asian, engineer There’s obviously a few things that are wrong. But trying to bring manufacturing back is really important. I feel like manufacturing is important for many reasons, such as war, and for giving jobs to American people, too. Everyone cannot go to college. I think bringing back blue-collar work is great.Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson For those who said things are not headed in the right direction, tell me more about that. Benedict, 24, Neb., Republican, white, law clerk Economics. And the way that we are accumulating debt is becoming unsustainable and unfixable. I think a lot of other things trickle down from that. Heather, 23, Va., Republican, Asian, dog walker, tutor I would say I agree with everything that I’ve heard so far. And I would add that the abortion industry and the human trafficking trade is another really big problem that Americans are feeding into. Zachary, 25, Mo., independent, white, scientist We’re a humiliation across the world i
Fuente: NYT — Ver nota original
