50-year mortgage? Gen Z isn’t buying it.
MAGA youth reject the president’s latest housing idea – the latest sign of a growing rift between President Trump and the young voters who supported him in 2024.
Affordability. Cost of living. Rent. Housing. These aren’t just political buzzwords, they’re daily obstacles for all Americans, but especially young ones. Young people are confronting increasingly expensive *everything*. High rent, unaffordable college education, and shaky job prospects are just a few of their most pressing economic concerns. Saddled with student loans (and unsure if a traditional college degree will actually pay off in an AI-dominated world), young Americans are wary of taking on long-term debt. The American Dream is obviously changing. It’s not that Gen Z doesn’t value traditional life goals like higher education, marriage, children, or home ownership — those milestones are just increasingly inaccessible.
Zohran Mamdani tapped into this reality in New York City and struck a chord with young people across the country as a result. Now, other politicians are taking note.
Most notably, President Donald Trump. In a Truth social post, Trump pitched a 50-year mortgage, conceivably something that was supposed to signal he’s listening to young Americans on housing and make it appear more affordable to young buyers by spreading payments over a longer period. But it didn’t hit.
It’s the latest in a series of moves that have left Trump voters increasingly disillusioned. Couple that with anti-Trump rhetoric from right-wing influencers like the controversial Nick Fuentes (who declared this week that “MAGA is dead”), and things aren’t looking so hot for Trump, who was praised this time a year ago for his ability to connect with young men especially.
According to YouGov:
Trump had a 44.6.% favorability rating with registered voters under 30 last January.
Now, that number is at 34%.
When you look at YouGov’s tracker on young men specifically:
Trump had a 55.7% favorability rating with registered young men under 30 when he took office in January.
Now, that number is 47.1%.
This week, I checked in with Trump 2024 voters in The Up and Up Community — men and women — to hear their thoughts on his 50-year mortgage idea.
Not a single one I spoke to is for it.
I also asked how they’re feeling about his second term more broadly. The results were mixed. Some remain bullish. One said Trump 2.0 feels like “betrayal.”
He put it bluntly:
“My anger on his words and decisions recently is something I’ve never felt for a politician.”
Here’s what I heard.
🔑 What You’ll Unlock: Highlights from this edition
Quotes from a former Trump supporter
Why a 50-year mortgage is perceived as a “bandaid on a gaping wound”
My take on young voters’ fickle loyalty