OPINION: For Millennials, Trump’s GOP Is The Party Of Progress

Democrats are committed to mobilizing young people to vote — it seems like we are bombarded by this message every day. Everything from promotional emails from clothing brands to ads on Facebook have been telling us to vote, vote, vote. (It’s always three “vote” signs in a row, not just one.) Why are left-leaning institutions trying so hard to get young people to vote? Because they know that most young people vote Democrat.  

Conservatives often dismiss the millennial vote, claiming that young people are uninformed and don’t know anything about politics. Some claim that we vote based on what our favorite celebrity tells us to do. That’s true for some people. But ultimately, it’s not a celebrity’s endorsement or your parents who convince you how to vote. It’s the underlying idea of progress that young people are drawn to.

First-time voters are in college or are recent graduates. They’ve moved out of their parents’ home and are ready to be an adult and make their own decisions. Right now, a lot of us have college debt, are looking for jobs, and are trying to pay rent. We’re new to this whole “adulting” thing and think that somehow, everything in life will work out. We are idealists at heart.

First-time voters long for progress. After all, young people will inherit the nation and see all of the policies of today come to fruition in the years to come. Young people want to see our country get better. And it’s true that we are impatient, with relatively short attention spans compared to those of previous generations, so we would like to see progress fast. Amazon-Prime type of fast. Is that asking too much? 

So if we want progress, that means “Vote Democrat,” right? After all, the Democrats portray themselves as the party of “progressives,” as a party of the future. Barack Obama campaigned on “hope” and “change” and we liked that rhetoric. The choice for young people is between two different visions for the future. But “progressive” is a misleading term. Even though Democrats paint Republicans as the party of the past, as reactionaries, Republicans also have a vision for the future. 

The real choice for young people is not between “past” and “future,” but between two different visions for the future.

If you’re a young person reading this, you may genuinely wonder: What do Republicans want for our future? What do they mean by “make America great again”? Fortunately, with President Trump, we’re not just dealing with a vision. We’re not just hoping for change. We can see it. He’s been in office for two years and he’s done a lot. So let’s look at what he’s done.

Let’s start with security. President Trump has greatly weakened the power of the Islamic State by unleashing our military to attack their command posts. Obama was holding our forces back and we used to be in a stalemate. Diplomatically, Trump brokered a ceasefire between Russia and Jordan in Syria. He has also been making progress with North Korea. We now have the prospect of an agreement that would denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. We have never seen anything like this.

Let’s turn to economic prosperity. Three factors tell us whether Trump is succeeding here: economic growth, the stock market and unemployment numbers. Economic growth is upward of four percent. The stock market is at record levels with the Dow at 25,000 or higher. Unemployment is the lowest it’s been in America since 1969. Black and Hispanic unemployment are at record lows.

Trump is also committed to life and personal freedom. He has been a defender of the Second Amendment and is pro-Life. He advocates for religious liberty and free speech. Even though the major media and “Fake News” outlets rail on him every day, he lets them. He criticizes them back, but he doesn’t shut them down. 

Moreover, we have also seen a revival of patriotism under Donald Trump. More people say they love America and have more confidence in America now than in previous years. Regardless of political differences, socioeconomic status, race, gender, or sexual orientation, what we desperately need is a love of country to unite us as Americans. Donald Trump is providing just that.

This is what President Trump is fighting for. If you don’t stand for this, don’t vote for him. But the reality is we have seen tremendous progress during the president’s first two years in office. And what young people want more than anything is results. We are tired of politicians saying they’ll do things, and then not doing them. It’s up to you to vote in the midterms and decide what kind of progress, and what kind of America, you want in the years ahead.