The culture shift with Trump 2.0
No more “walking on eggshells.” TikTok’s situationship with Trump. And why some creators are turning to Substack.
The culture shift with Trump 2.0 is palpable. After TikTok went dark and reappeared for American users this weekend (thanks to President Donald Trump, they said), the social media platform sponsored a party on Inauguration eve to honor conservative influencers. The party was hosted by CJ Pearson, a conservative creator and one of the Republican National Committee’s youth advisory council co-chairs, and Raquel Debono, the CMO for conservative Date Right and the host of ‘Make America Hot Again’ events.
Trump had the best showing with young voters of any Republican candidate in recent history (though make no mistake about it, Vice President Kamala Harris still carried young voters in 2024). On day two of his second term, here’s what young conservatives are looking forward to – and what they’re most concerned about – in the dawn of a new Trump era...
Optimism
Is the word on the street. Every young Republican I spoke to yesterday told me they were optimistic about what the next four years (and specifically the next 100 days) could look like. There’s an understanding that Trump tells it like it is, which means they know what to expect – it’s why they voted for him.
Askar Mirza, a 20-year old parks & public property commissioner in New Jersey, told me he feels “people are more excited this time around.” He cited the fact that “institutions” (especially higher education) have felt dominated by left-wing culture and are looking for a reprieve.
“Counter-culture is inevitable. If there’s one thing people our age hate being told to do, it’s what to do,” Mirza said.
That was reiterated by Leona Salinas, a 19-year old student at Texas State University, who said she sees Trump 2.0 as a chance to return to “return to normal.” Like many of the young people I spoke with, Trump reminds her of her life pre-Covid, which feels simpler, safer, and less stringent than the past four years.
Issues first
Economy
Young people are having a hard time financially and want change. Trump has promised to bring down inflation, cut spending, and lower taxes. For a generation that’s focused on the cost of living, this matters. Gabe Guidarini, a 20-year-old student at University of Dayton, said that for many people his age, the American dream feels dead. “The number one goal of the Trump administration over the next four years is going to be to prove them wrong,” he said. Meanwhile in his hometown, Nolan Jacket, a 21-year-old electrician, said that whether people are politically engaged or not, a better job market and the cost of living overall are top of mind. Every young Republican I spoke with yesterday said they’re counting on the president to follow through and make their lives more affordable.
Immigration
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: young voters aren’t as different from older voters as everyone thinks, and control of the southern border is more of a priority for this generation than many may realize. Young Republicans are eager to see Trump’s actions on mass deportations specifically – though there was some apprehension with the idea of ending pathways to citizenship like DACA or gutting birthright citizenship altogether.
Anti-war
Like generations past, today’s youngest Americans look at global conflict with fear, sadness, and apprehension. While many are unsettled by the lives lost abroad and American dollars spent in foreign conflict, others say their biggest worry is direct US involvement and the idea of getting drafted themselves. This was one of the top concerns I heard from young men in particular in the lead-up to the election.
Along those lines, check out this video I helped make for Glamour based on our November story about the young men who voted for Trump.
Could flip on a dime
Some young conservatives pledged their loyalty to Trump. But Lucy Cox, a 20-year-old student at UC Berkeley warned that this generation is prone to changing its mind, which she attributes to how quickly sentiment can shift online.
That online culture is part of why Gen Z, which was once seen as perhaps the most progressive generation on issues of racial justice, gun safety, and climate action, has moved to the right.
“Our generation is tired of walking on eggshells,” Cox said.
But just because the president has made inroads with this demographic amid a counter-cultural movement away from political correctness and frustration with the left, doesn’t mean they’ll stay there forever.
I also checked in with young people who didn’t vote for Trump, asking them what, if anything, they’re hopeful for as he takes office. Some replies were cheeky (I mean, what did I expect) but others were more earnest.
Here’s some of what they said:
That there will be an overhaul of Democratic party leadership
That Democrats will take back the House and Senate in 2026 and the presidency in 2028
Israel’s security and that all of the remaining hostages are brought home
The prospect of government efficiency, foreign affairs, and tech policy
That “love will drive out hate”
“Divine intervention”
Trump’s TikTok Hail Mary
The young Republicans I spoke with yesterday weren’t hyper-concerned with the fate of TikTok, but from my POV, Trump’s Hail Mary could make him a hero with young people – especially those who weren't even old enough to vote this fall.
Here’s why:
Gen Z hates being told what to do or say. TikTok is a place to speak freely, with little to no filter.
Trump had the best showing with young voters of any Republican candidate in years. He was already making inroads with this bloc, in part because he speaks bluntly, without a filter, telling them what they want to hear.
When the app they love went dark for a hot sec this weekend, they saw it as a violation of free speech. They used it, yes, for politics and news, but more so for fun, business and entertainment. The vast majority of Gen Z users on the platform are everyday Americans, who aren’t hyper-political or party aligned.
If Trump genuinely saves TikTok in the long-term, he won’t be just a short-term hero. He could spark a larger political conversation for these everyday young people in the US, introducing them to the role of government and further positioning himself as a champion for free expression and their rights.
In the meantime… Substack > TikTok?
In light of TikTok’s questionable long term functionality in the US (and the company’s situationship with Trump) some creators are flocking to our platform du jour, Substack (welcome 👋!!).
One of those creators is Democratic activist and influencer , who has 2 million followers on TikTok and now upwards of 115,000 on Substack (Parnas was the winner of Substack’s ‘TikTok Liberation Prize’ this weekend). I did a quick interview with Parnas on Monday night to learn more about why he’s leaning into Substack in the early days of Trump 2.0. Here’s some of what he had to say, edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
What’s behind the current energy on Substack?
AP: It’s the only platform that's not owned by a billionaire, and it's the only platform where you really, truly have full editorial control without any oversight from the platform itself. The platform, I realize, unlike [X] Twitter and some of these other platforms that prescribe to this free speech mantra, Substack really is the only one that actually gives you the ability to fully publish with full editorial control and zero censorship.
You won a ‘TikTok Liberation Prize.’ Can you tell me what that is?
AP: I saw the Substack CEO post on Substack saying, hey, we're offering a prize to folks who kind of start a trend of getting people to leave TikTok, or not necessarily leave, but join Substack from TikTok. And I made one video, that video on TikTok organically blew up (it has over 1 million views now), and I was able to gain tens of thousands of subscribers on Substack because of it. I think that's the reason I won, because I was able to get kind of the most people over and get people not just to subscribe to my channel, but to start their own as well.
Substack promotes community as a value. Why does that resonate with younger audiences?
AP: Our generation really isn't reading newspapers, right? We don't really have Washington Post subscriptions, or New York Times subscriptions – digital even. Substack really is bringing that long form content back, but not via video, via text. It's convenient to be able to read your favorite content creators thoughts on an app vs. having to open up a full paper.
As a Democratic content creator whose brand has been about politics, is there something about your audience in particular right now that is craving an alternative platform while TikTok cozies up to Trump?
AP: There’s a wide range of people who have a significant distrust in mainstream media sources and are looking for something different. Whether that's on TikTok or now on Substack, they want a platform, and they want content that isn't controlled by those in the legacy media, the billionaire class and, essentially, the institutions. That's why you see a lot of folks flocking to Substack from TikTok, because they see that overnight, a big tech company could easily cozy up to a President of the United States. My audience, yes, skews left, but I have plenty of Republicans on there who constantly tell me that although they may not agree with me politically on every issue, they respect the work that I do and they appreciate it. So I think it's a bipartisan kind of distrust in institutions.
What's something you want to see more of on Substack?
AP: The biggest thing is just more people on there. I want to get bigger names on there, both influencers and also journalists. You saw the
start with some of the WaPo people. Making Substack more mainstream is something that I definitely want to see. Because I want it to eventually be like, ‘Oh, are you on Substack?’ Not like, ‘What is Substack?’Noteworthy reads of the week
When Your Son Goes MAGA, Callie Holtermann for The New York Times
Global study shows majority of 18-34 year olds support using violence and disinformation to drive change, Diane Brady for Fortune
Representative Maxwell Frost Knows Where Democrats Get The Message Wrong, nia t. evans for The Cut
I used to have faith in the younger generation. I have more fear now than ever because the education system failed so miserably. That any human could look to that felonious freak with anything other than disgust, is something for which I’m struggling to find words. I am very nauseous, though.
These young republics are just reiterating the importance of aborting.