Forget the 4Bs, These Are the 5As of Gen Z Trumpers

By Lillian Gillespie

Shocked? Surprised? Unexpected? Donald Trump’s election seems to bewilder pundits and members of the mainstream media. For months, we heard about how the 2024 election would be a war of the sexes. Young men will vote for Donald, young women will vote for Kamala, and none of them will ever have sex again because of diverging politics. After the election, some young women went as far as to claim they would adopt tenets of South Korea’s 4B movement— translated to no marriage, no childbirth, no dating and no sex with men.

However, exit polls tell a different story. Youth voters have shifted 21 points away from Democrats since 2020. While Joe Biden had a 25-point advantage in 2020, Kamala Harris only saw a 4-point lead on President-elect Trump.

Key trends among Gen Z help explain why a man the media called “more dangerous than Hitler” received an unexpectedly high percentage of the 18-25 year-old vote. Trump’s historic inroads with them comes down to aesthetics, autonomy, affordability, authenticity, and attention.

Aesthetics Are In

Gen Z loves an aesthetic, so 2025 is an opportunity to embrace beauty unapologetically. Wanting to feel beautiful and be surrounded by beauty is something many women desire and isn’t the same as advocating for sex-based stereotypes. Beauty is more than one’s appearance, and taking care of your body, treating others well, and contributing to your community all merit admiration. What’s more feminist than empowering women to enjoy who God made them to be and to see them as such? 

Dating Boom Incoming

Trump’s peace through strength position and established track record of peace abroad wars resonates with Gen Z. It’s also excellent news for young ladies on the dating scene. Unlike women, men have to sign up for the draft (one might call it a law giving the government the power to make decisions about the male body). Trump’s leadership reduces the likelihood of international military intervention because his policies prioritize deterring threats to the United States with diplomacy, strategic partnerships, and credible threats of force. If there are no endless wars for men to be drafted into, there is a bigger pool of men for you to get to know.

French Girl Diets for Everyone

The rise of the Make America Healthy Again movement has been one of the most unpredictable alliances of this election. Only two years ago, government exercised draconian power to control social interaction and undermine bodily autonomy, greatly hurting Gen Z. The subsequent distrust of institutions now manifests in a libertarian-leaning counter culture among young people. 

The pandemic hit when healthy teenagers should have been experiencing the best years of their lives. Instead, they endured the worst excesses of administrative incompetence and cowardice. We are ready for RFK Jr. to combat corporate cronyism in food and drug regulation and promote quality nutrition as a means to reduce chronic disease in this country. Even if you disagree with RFK’s outlandish opinions on other subjects, his ability to bring awareness to the issues is essential for tackling growing sickness among Americans, which exacerbated adverse Covid outcomes.

Home Economics

Life has been expensive under Biden. Gen Z wants to make a better life than our parents, afford homes before we’re 50, and not live paycheck to paycheck. With Trump at the helm, we will find energy independence again, lowering our utility bills. Fewer regulations mean businesses can operate more efficiently, face lower compliance costs, and reduce operational costs. Lower taxes for companies and individuals means more money in your pocket and lower prices. Instead of spending a ton on energy, groceries, and taxes, you can save money and shop without a government stimulus check!

Revenge on the Scolds

The kids raised by Ronald Reagan-supporting parents are now voters, and it shows. Anecdotally, if my parents are any indication, maybe you were raised by people who grew up when a politically incorrect joke was funny, meritocracy was good, parties were fun, and scolds were ignored. Authenticity is the key adjective for understanding GenZ. Trump’s self-deprecation, humor, hyperbole, and unwillingness to go down without a fight made him a tough and fun contrast to his critics’ manufactured outrage, thought policing, and virtue signaling. This election reveals that young people are tired of being lectured, canceled, and divided and want to rebel, laugh, fall in love, and fight for our right to party. Parented by the Reagan generation, the youngest cohort of voters craves that restoration of all-American fun, freedom, and authenticity.

TikTok Killed the Cable News-Star

Those who follow alternative media, news podcasts, and influencers already know this. This election, mainstream media lecturing didn’t work because the lectures didn’t reach us in a compelling way. The winners in this election are Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Barron Trump, Brett Cooper, Megyn Kelly, and decidedly not the celebrity class, The View, Oprah, Jen Psaki, Mark Cuban, Barack Obama, or Morning Joe. Social media and podcasts make information access and distribution more accessible than ever. Lacking the filter of media commentary and soundbites, podcasts and social media offer candidates the opportunity to present themselves as genuine and relatable. As long as independent voices and creators withstand groupthink and censorship, fractionalized and democratized information will make it persistently more challenging to spread false narratives and suppress authentic viral moments.

The 2024 election results prove the youth vote isn’t in the bag for Democrats. With a mix of aesthetics, authenticity, and a dash of rebellion, conservatives can successfully message to the young masses. Mired by artificial content, fake outrage, and exaggerated accents, we are desperate for leaders who feel real. Turns out, authenticity and affordability can trump polished speeches and empty promises, even for the youngest voters.

Lillian Gillespie is a Senior Research Analyst at a public affairs firm in Washington, DC, and a graduate of Washington and Lee University. Views are her own. Find her on Instagram @lillianclaregillespie.