What’s one word that describes Gen Z? What’s one word that
describes Gen Z?
Autumn, 24, Va., Dem.
Mason, 23, Ohio, indep.
Hung, 27, Pa., Dem.
Since President Trump took office, his administration has called up National Guard members and sent them into U.S. cities, conducted airstrikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, emphasized a new “warrior” ethos and changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. These developments come at a time of continued conflict in Europe and the Middle East, rising tensions in Asia and ongoing worries about the military’s ability to recruit young people.
What do American Gen Z civilians think about the military, America’s place in the world and how their generation might differ from others?
For the latest installment of the America in Focus project, we spoke with 11 young Americans who considered joining the military but did not do so, hadn’t themselves considered joining the military but knew people who did join or, in one case, had already served. This focus group was conducted before Thanksgiving, prior to the tragic shooting of two National Guard members and the heightened scrutiny of the Trump administration’s boat strikes in recent weeks.
Many of the participants who had considered the military had been especially drawn to the educational benefits the military offers, but personal beliefs and concerns about both military culture and conflicts abroad ultimately kept them from joining. The conversation is another reminder that TikTok and other social media are shaping young people’s perceptions of institutions and America’s place in the world to a great extent, particularly around the conflict in Gaza. The group also had opinions on the idea of the American dream and on what distinguishes their generation from others.
Participants
Anna 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
Autumn 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
Damilola 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
Divine 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
Gabriel 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
Gabriella 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
Hung 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
Ish 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
Jin Feng 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
Jonathan 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
Mason 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
Transcript
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
If you had to describe how the U.S. is doing right now in terms of a weather report, what would you say?
Ish, 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
Thunderstorming.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
Hurricane.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
Tornado.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
Cloudy, chance of thunder.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
Level 5 hurricane making its way through the country.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
Cloudy.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
Pouring rain.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
Sunny with a chance of rain.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
Gloomy.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
A hurricane.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
Partly cloudy with a chance of tornadoes.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Why?
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
Partly cloudy because I don’t think that we’re in as much turmoil as the news leads us to believe. There’s a chance of citizens becoming more hostile to one another.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
I said sunny with a chance of rain. To bounce off of that, I think we are fearmongered and divided. And I’ve seen a much larger divide. Still, at the end of the day, I feel like living in our country is a privilege.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
It feels like a hurricane to me, very tumultuous. It feels like something unexpected comes up every other day.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
I said gloomy because it sucks to wake up and hear more negative news than good news.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
The United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence next year.
Do you think you will feel patriotic about the 250th
anniversary of America’s independence? Do you think you will feel patriotic about the 250th anniversary of America’s independence? 3 people raised their hands.
Anna, 25, Fla., Rep.
Autumn, 24, Va., Dem.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Dem.
Divine, 21, Md., Dem.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, Dem.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Dem.
Hung, 27, Pa., Dem.
Ish, 26, N.J., Dem.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., indep.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Dem.
Mason, 23, Ohio, indep.
Ish, 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
I didn’t vote because I don’t know for sure that I won’t feel patriotic next year. But there have been times that I’ve felt prouder of this country. In this period that we’re living through, I’m not feeling particularly patriotic.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
I come from a very poor family. There are a lot of things that are happening that are going to really negatively impact my family and my friends’ families, my Hispanic friends. I am concerned.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
I guess I don’t feel patriotic. Part of it may be even the media’s fault, like a lot of it just has a negative spin on stuff recently. I don’t strongly feel one way or the other, but I definitely don’t feel patriotic.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
Yeah, I am proud to be American. I come from a family of a lot of immigrants, and they fought really hard to come here and succeed in our country. And seeing that makes me so happy, and I carry that with a lot of pride.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
I raised my hand, but I want to be clear that I don’t necessarily have hope in our politicians or in our government. That’s not what I’ll be patriotic about. But I hope it brings all of the citizens together in remembrance that our country was founded by citizens that became revolutionaries, who kind of gave the middle finger to the government that they found was oppressing them. I hope everyone remembers why this country was founded and that we can get back to the roots of everyone being created equal.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
What does it mean to be a patriotic person?
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
It’s someone who lives up to the idea of America. We’re the land of the free, where everyone can be equal. In a moment where there’s so much hatred against everyone, you lose that sense of community. We were built on fighting against an oppressive government. And now it seems to be the opposite, where we’re not really doing anything with an oppressive government.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
I think it means having the country’s best interest in mind. The founding fathers had a vision for this country. Upholding that is patriotic.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
I guess I would say someone who’s patriotic is someone who’s very proud of most parts of what their country does or what it stands for.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
These days, being patriotic would mean having a flag outside your home and talking good about this country. But I think a true patriotic person would hold their country accountable when it’s doing wrong and not just blindly follow whatever the president says.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
You are all technically members of Gen Z. What’s one word that describes Gen Z to you?
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
Wild.
Ish, 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
Aware.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
Passionate.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
Influence.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
Meme.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
Online.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
Passionate.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
Fast.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
Malleable.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
Empathetic.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
Nonchalant. Not in a bad way.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Gabriella, tell me a little more about “empathetic.”
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
People attribute wokeness to Gen Z, but in a way, to me, that feels positive. I feel like we care a lot about the rights of all types of people, and we do our best to address the needs of those people. So the empathy is pretty strong amongst our generation as maybe compared to other, older ones.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
I guess older people, boomers, would call us sensitive, or kind of like we’re cherry-picking issues to be passionate about. We’re more passionate about certain things, especially rights and issues.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Hung, why did you say “meme”?
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
I feel as if our generation as a whole doesn’t have a voice in our government as much. So we divert that communication into meme format. Sometimes it’s funny, but sometimes it applies to more serious notes, like inequality in our life or society.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
We often hear Gen Z is kind of pessimistic about America’s future. Do you think that’s accurate or inaccurate?
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
It’s accurate, but I also think it’s realistic. A lot of older people are delusional, which can be a good way to cope. It’s better to be optimistic, but that’s delusional if you’re not ultimately realistic.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Do you have something specific in mind?
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
On the economy and how America is in general, what’s going on across the world.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
I’m 21, and I feel like people around my age kind of grew up with Obama when he was president. I think he was a very bipartisan president. So you were seeing a lot more peace in the country. I assumed that I would also be living through a president like that as I got older. But as we’re seeing, the current administration is like hellbent on dividing people. Cost of living is going up. They’re cutting food stamps. I don’t speak for all Gen Z, but we’ve been let down.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
I think the pessimism from Gen Z stems from failing to look at things from a realistic point of view. Gen Z really thinks that we’re in a utopia where everything could just be perfect. Why can’t everyone in the world just move here and live like Americans should? Why can’t we all have free health care? Why can’t we all have a stipend every month for food? Why can’t we all have free education? Not that I don’t want those things, either, but there is a price to pay sometimes.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
But with social media, Gen Z is exposed to other parts of the world. We see other countries doing the universal health care thing and the free education thing, so it’s not crazy to see that and think that the greatest country in the world could also do that for ourselves as well. We want better for our country.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
In that vein, what does a good standard of living look like to you all?
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
I think a family with one source of income should be super realistic. I work with many people whose wives quit work while they have babies to help raise the children because day care costs almost as much as what their wives are bringing in. So the families are literally paying someone else to raise their child, and it costs as much as one person’s salary. We used to live in a time where a single-income household was normal, and I’d really like to see our country get back.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
You should be able to work a traditional 9 to 5, 40 hours a week, and have enough for rent, food, insurance and, after all your expenses, maybe 10 percent for savings so that you can put away for your retirement.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
I’m still in college, so this is all kind of aspirational for me. But once I graduate next year, I’d like a 9 to 5, being able to live in a city and meet the standard of living, being able to afford housing, transportation, food and traveling within the country just as a way to de-stress.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Do you think there are aspects of a meaningful life that it feels like it’ll be hard for Gen Z in particular to attain?
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
A sense of family. I think we grew up being surrounded with more individualism. Many people don’t really want kids. Going on social media, nobody wants kids.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
The presence of social media is probably, I would say, almost hurting Gen Z more than helping them. The current state of misinformation and A.I. and fake news is almost running rampant. Nowadays, it’s hard to separate what’s real and what’s not.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
Having kids is a thing that I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to achieve financially. I don’t want to have kids when I’m not in a financially stable situation, since I grew up in that. I don’t want to raise kids in poverty. Realistically, based on the economy today, I feel like I will never get to a point where I can comfortably say that I could have kids and raise them comfortably.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Does the American dream seem achievable to you?
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
I would say no. It’s been statistically proven that the American Dream has died, based on housing prices and inflation and fewer jobs being given to Americans rather than cheap labor overseas, because that’s the capitalism that we all love. I’m being sarcastic. But it’s everyone for themselves.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
I completely agree. I guess when I think about the American dream, it’s achievable, but with a leg up. The idea of it is fantastic — my family are immigrants, and they’ve been moderately successful. But for most of the time, people I know have had some sort of leg up or have known someone or come from money.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
So I’m pretty proud of myself for how much I’ve worked and what I’ve achieved. I bought my house without help. I mean, I got a loan, but it wasn’t my family that was helping me out. I am about to pay off my truck within the next 13 months. And that took working 60 hours a week for years. So I truly believe that, yes, if you do work hard, then things are achievable.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
People are asked what makes life meaningful, often identifying service as an important source of meaning or purpose.
Do you feel that joining the military
fits into your idea of service? Do you feel that joining the military fits into your idea of service? 8 people raised their hands.
Anna, 25, Fla., Rep.
Autumn, 24, Va., Dem.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Dem.
Divine, 21, Md., Dem.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, Dem.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Dem.
Hung, 27, Pa., Dem.
Ish, 26, N.J., Dem.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., indep.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Dem.
Mason, 23, Ohio, indep.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
I do think that serving in the military is serving, because you actually contribute to protecting your country, defending freedom. Occasionally, we’ll go out and actually aid other people. But in practice, we misuse our military for otherwise devious activities and actually cause more harm, and we’ve misused it.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
What we’re kind of taught about military, yes, that’s service. But then, when you look at what our military is doing in other countries to innocent people, that’s not service to me. That’s harm.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
I was considering joining the military. I wanted to be part of something more than me, being a part of something bigger. But as I got older it was hard for me to see if I would have felt that I was in service to something bigger if I had been doing things that didn’t align with my own moral beliefs.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
So a couple of people have mentioned it and have qualms with how our military is used. I completely agree that it’s unfortunate that the people that send us to war are never in war. They are behind a nice wooden desk. But I served, and I still truly believe that if the military was used in the capacity that it was intended for, that there’s nothing more selfless than putting the stripes and stars behind you, going in front of it to defend everyone that’s innocent behind it. So I think it’s very selfless. I appreciate all the guys that served and gals that served.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
For those of you who never really considered joining yourself, why do you think others decide to join the military?
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
So I know two people who joined the military. One went to the Naval Academy, and that’s because he actually wanted to serve his country. He was very patriotic. And another person went to the military because he didn’t have a better option for him, unfortunately.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
Yeah, I think someone joins out of selflessness, or because you have nothing else. You could really not know what you want to do in life, and the military would teach you discipline and the determination to get what you want. I think for some, joining the military gives them a sense of purpose.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Some of you were seriously considering the military, though you ultimately didn’t join. What drew you to that as a possible career option?
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
I considered going to platoon leader school, I intended on it, but then Covid happened and my plans changed. But when I was seriously considering it, I was looking at the competitive pay, the fact that they’d help pay for school and lots of other benefits that I was thinking about at the time. I was a little stressed out with school, and I didn’t really want to continue the job search anytime soon.
Ish, 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
When you’re applying and getting into medical school, you’re going to get 100 pamphlets in the mail from Army, Navy, military, basically trying to convince you to do this health professional scholarship program where they pay for all of medical school and give you a stipend. And they give you a signing bonus, and then all you have to do is work seven years for them, about that on average, after you graduate. I looked into that when I was applying, but I ultimately decided against it. It just didn’t really align with my personal beliefs.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
I considered joining the military because I just didn’t know what to do. I was weighing my options, college, another program or just going to work right after high school. The military has great benefits. It’s one of the best ways to get out of poverty. But then there’s also negatives with everything. I just didn’t think it was for me. It was also a four-year commitment. After that, if I were to use the benefits to its fullest, it would be school right after.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
I come from a family that has a lot of people in the military. I saw how proud everybody was of my cousin and things like that. I don’t come from a family that has money to pay for college. So free college would be amazing, along with having some sort of community inside of school. But ultimately, I just felt it didn’t align with what I wanted career-wise. The physical requirements were another barrier. And then Covid happened.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
I really enjoyed building things growing up. I built a glider in high school and was really interested in aerospace. So the military might have made sense. But I stopped considering that when I felt I couldn’t square it with my personal beliefs. I could fulfill my aptitude for math and science in other ways.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
I considered joining the military because I did grow up a little bit poor, and I was wondering how I was going to pay for college. But what really turned me off of it was hearing so many stories about the cultural climate of the military. I don’t think that they’d be the most welcoming for someone of my race or demographic. Also, I was considering joining around the time that Trump was going to win the presidency. And benefits weren’t worth it in exchange for being the first in line if he were to start a world war or something.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
A lot of people in my family have been in the military. My dad, my grandpa, my great-grandpa had all been in the military, so it was definitely a consideration. I did like the benefits and everything. But the biggest reason that I didn’t join was because I turned 18 during Trump’s first presidency. And I’m trans. During his first presidency, there was a lot of things about trans people not being allowed in the military. I’m not 100 percent sure if that was ever set in stone, but it did really scare me off of it.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Do you think that joining the military these days is more physically risky or less physically risky than it has been in a previous time?
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
What is your frame of risk? In wartime, it’s less risky because of how battle has changed. But there is also a huge suicide problem that’s happening in the military, mental illness, PTSD. People still have some type of injury, whether or not you can see it.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Mason, you served in the military. What is something about serving that you think people who haven’t served should know?
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
Trauma-based bonding, I think it’s called. Going through something that is awful or terrible will bring you closer to your friends than anything anyone could ever fathom. So complete strangers that you don’t know right now, you go through something terrible together for months on end. And then walking out the door, you’re just thick as thieves. There’s nothing that can separate you. You have a bond that’s like no other.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Let’s talk a bit about world events. Tensions between China and Taiwan have been rising for a while. The U.S. has strong ties with Taiwan. If China invaded Taiwan in the next year, let’s say, what do you think the United States’ involvement would be?
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
It depends. It could go either way, like, 100 percent support Taiwan, 100 percent support China. The majority of our chips for A.I., which is pretty much propping up our entire economy, are made in Taiwan. So if you have China, your major competitor, take over the only places that can make advanced chips that run the next generation of technology, you’re going to try your best to defend Taiwan. Or they could completely let China take over Taiwan and just cooperate with China.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
We have a good relationship with them, but I don’t think we’re inclined to defend them right away, as we would if Israel were attacked or something. The United States might send weapons and aid, but might not actually join the war itself by sending troops.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
Is there a difference between what you think the government would do and what the government should do?
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
What we should do is not worry so much about everyone else. We always seem to stick our nose where it doesn’t belong. If Trump was still president, we’d probably do whatever Israel tells him to do. So that could go who knows what way.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
A few people have mentioned that people feel like the military is doing things that they don’t necessarily agree with. Do you have something specific in mind?
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
Everything with Israel and Palestine. I think that not only is the media lying about what’s happening, we are — I don’t know. We’re taking part in a genocide, and it’s horrible.
is handling the conflict in Ukraine? How do you think President Trump is handling the conflict in Ukraine?
Damilola,
24, Calif., Dem.
Divine,
21, Md., Dem.
Gabriella,
22, N.J., Dem.
Hung,
27, Pa., Dem.
Jonathan,
20, N.Y., Dem.
Anna,
25, Fla., Rep.
Autumn,
24, Va., Dem.
Ish,
26, N.J., Dem.
Jin Feng,
22, N.Y., indep.
Mason,
23, Ohio, indep.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Tell me why.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
I haven’t followed a whole lot about that. But part of it, against Russia, you have to tiptoe around that area. So you want to help Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid and all that there. But making Russia mad and having that directed towards us is not necessarily, I feel like, in our best interest. I’d say we’re on middle ground there.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
I’m honestly not too well versed with what’s happening with Ukraine and Russia at the current moment, but also feel like whenever I see Trump and Putin, it seems they’re just very buddy-buddy, cozy cozy. Then I see clips of Trump and his vice president belittling the Ukrainian president for not wearing a suit or something like that. It just feels all very unserious.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Let’s talk a little bit about the conflict in Gaza.
is handling the conflict in Gaza? How do you think President Trump is handling the conflict in Gaza?
Anna,
25, Fla., Rep.
Damilola,
24, Calif., Dem.
Divine,
21, Md., Dem.
Gabriella,
22, N.J., Dem.
Ish,
26, N.J., Dem.
Jin Feng,
22, N.Y., indep.
Jonathan,
20, N.Y., Dem.
Autumn,
24, Va., Dem.
Hung,
27, Pa., Dem.
Mason,
23, Ohio, indep.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
They were able to broker a cease-fire, but I still don’t feel positively because they let it go on so long. And he has plans to convert the entirety of the Gaza Strip into a luxury hotel. So, great, it stops. But still could be better, a lot better.
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
I rated him poorly, but Hung’s response made me lean more towards the middle. But I do think any support of genocide is absolutely crazy. The fact that there’s even a discussion around it is kind of bizarre to me, too. I feel in between because I have Jewish friends, and I see where they’re coming from. But I also am like, I can’t excuse anything that’s happening. I don’t know. It’s hard to try and be empathetic for both sides when you feel like one side is so wrong. But in terms of the way the U.S. is handling it, brokering some sort of peace treaty has been good as long as it leads to an actual resolution.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
I think he’s been really unserious about how he’s handling things. He’s continuously funding Israel with more money, funding genocide instead of actually condemning it, and he’s only been boosting up Netanyahu. It doesn’t make sense.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
In the last few years, how many people have seen TikToks or short videos elsewhere on social media that are from Ukraine or Gaza? [Everybody raises a hand.] What have those made you think or feel about war?
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
It helped me see the truth. I think that’s why they want to ban these things like TikTok, because the news is not showing you anything as what I’ve seen on TikTok and Twitter and things like that. It just opened my eyes to a completely different perspective of war and what we’re being told by the news or history books.
Ish, 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
I was already kind of seeking out content from people in those areas before I was on TikTok as often as I am now. So it wasn’t new to me, but it felt hopeful to me that other people who maybe weren’t as informed were able to see the day-by-day of the people that actually live in those areas.
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
I agree 100 percent with Anna. I do notice when I open TikTok specifically, there is a lot more related to the wars, especially the one between Palestine and Israel, than on any other social media. I feel like it definitely has helped me be more aware of everything that’s happening.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
I don’t know if any of y’all know Ms. Rachel, the YouTube educator. I have a toddler, so we are very familiar with her. She’s very anti-Israel. A lot of the first stuff I saw initially came from her page. She shares a lot of almost war zone footage, and a lot of it is of children. It’s an excellent use of her platform because previously — I would prefer us to stay out of the Middle East, because most of the time I think we do more harm than good — but with this, it made me very sad, upset, in response to the children being injured or living in absolutely terrible conditions there.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Let’s talk a bit more about Trump. Whether you like it or not, is his presidency going the way you thought it would?
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
It’s going exactly how I thought it would. I came into this discussion not wanting to be too political, but when Trump was running, he kind of denied the whole Project 2025 thing. But we’re literally seeing him implementing like most of everything that was on that Project 2025. I expected it 100 percent.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
I don’t necessarily have a great reason for why I thought this, but I kind of assumed the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts would play out worse than they have. I don’t necessarily think it’s been handled well, but I don’t think it’s been disastrous.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
I do kind of agree with Autumn. At least, it’s kind of in the middle ground where it’s in limbo and not just: Take over Ukraine, just completely flatten Gaza to nothing.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Has anybody been surprised in a positive way?
Gabriel, 24, Ohio, biracial, Democrat, artist
I was really surprised that he was able to help negotiate the cease-fire. He’s done nothing positive, really. When I saw that, I just couldn’t believe that he would want to end it, just because of how much we were helping Israel and of furthering the conflict in that way.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
There’s been a lot of talk about Donald Trump perhaps trying to change the military in some way. Do any of you think that the military has changed since the beginning of his new administration?
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
I witnessed quite a change regarding physical standards when I was in before Trump took over. Whether you’re a male or a female, or whether you’re 20 or you’re 40, I would think that the standard for combat arms on physicality tests should be the same whatsoever. So if you’re expecting a 20-year-old male to do 80 push-ups just in a row, everyone in that combat role should be able to do 80 push-ups in a row, just because it’s important that if I’m shot, whoever’s beside me needs to be able to pull me away. We should all be held to the same physical standard. And that is not the case anymore.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
I want to ask others: Are there any ways in which you think the military has changed since the beginning of the Trump administration?
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
The most obvious one is the change of the name to the Department of War or something like that. That right there speaks volumes as to what is going on with the military now.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
The deployment in cities. It’s completely changed from what it was in previous administrations. I think it’s a bit excessive. Also, the idea that they’re removing anonymous complaints toward sexual harassment cases, I think that’s bizarre. It limits the ability for somebody to come forward.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
Do you think deploying the National Guard was a necessary response to a challenge that was present in these cities? [No one raises a hand.]
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
I think he deployed it to deal with anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles. But deploying the National Guard is a Band-Aid fix. It’s going to create a bigger divide between the country because the issue is not being heard. Clearly, there’s a big difference between what the president and most people in government want versus what the people in America want to happen.
Damilola, 24, Calif., Black, Democrat, student
It’s a heavy-handed response. I think he said Chicago was on fire at one point; Portland, too. But then citizens were posting videos of their daily life that were not chaotic at all. People were saying: We don’t really need the help that you’re trying to give us. We’re not requesting it.
Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson
The military has been facing recruitment challenges the last couple of years or so. What do you think is driving that?
Ish, 26, N.J., white, Democrat, medical student
I think a lot of young people are disillusioned with the military. We imagined that it served and helped the American people, but now we see it creating just such horrible environments and genocide in countries and doing things that we don’t agree with. And the National Guard just being used as this really cheap intimidation tactic against its own citizens, I don’t really see how that would entice a lot of people to join.
Jonathan, 20, N.Y., Black, Democrat, student
I think that they’ll be facing challenges because your president is posting videos of him pooping on cities. That doesn’t really offer a sense of unity. I feel like it defeats the purpose, especially when you have U.S. troops being deployed in the cities, certain raids.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
Fewer people are showing up to the recruiting stations because they’re starting to see through the politicians’ bull crap, that they’re not going to the war to fight for freedom, but they’re just going to fight for oil. And then those that do go to the recruiter’s office, a big percentage of candidates are ineligible because of some sort of health reason. And that biggest reason is just being overweight. And of those that are denied, about 50 percent of them have two or more health reasons why they cannot join. So it’s kind of a double-edged sword as far as recruiting goes.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
People used to join the military because they had a sense of patriotism and pride in the country. Some people might be scared of deploying and being caught in the middle of a war. That could be a huge reason, especially if you’re joining the military for benefits and not to actually fight, which honestly isn’t the best idea.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
There are more opportunities to explore different career paths, and that means there’s more competition to be joining the military.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
OK. We’ve talked a lot about military global affairs. What do you think is best for the future of our country? If you had to pick one, should we be really active in world affairs or should we concentrate more on problems at home.
Autumn, 24, Va., white, Democrat, social work
Ideally, we would be able to focus more here. But with our infrastructure and how globalization has shaped things now, we can’t afford to not be focused on world affairs. If we’re not focused in other places, we have the potential to seriously hurt ourselves, where we can’t make up for the things that we just didn’t have them.
Anna, 25, Fla., white, Republican, sports production
Yeah. I just think that we have so many problems of our own, such as homelessness, before we can focus on other countries. I think that we’re fighting battles for countries like Israel, and they do have free health care. They do have free education. These are all things we don’t have. Yet we are funding a war for them.
Jin Feng, 22, N.Y., Asian, independent, looking for work
I’m kind of in the middle, but leaning more towards we’ve got to focus on America. Yes, we should care and try to prevent a war if possible. But it’s not our responsibility, in a way, to fix everyone else’s problems. You can’t save everyone. You can’t help everyone. That applies to us as well in America.
Moderator, Katherine Miller
What do you wish military leaders or just people in power politically understood about Gen Z?
Gabriella, 22, N.J., Latina, Democrat, yoga studio administrator
It’s really hard being in your 20s right now. I’m looking for a job. I have a bachelor’s degree, graduated from a great school. I heard someone in the grocery store mention something today, like: Oh, well, when I was that age, I already had a house. Anytime I hear that, I’m like, you have no idea what it’s like right now for people in their 20s. I don’t come from money. I don’t have a lot of savings. I worked like three jobs in college. And I still had to move back in with my parents.
Divine, 21, Md., Black, Democrat, nursing student
I wish that the government knew Gen Z has a tendency to meme things or be unserious about things that probably should be more serious. I wish the government knew that that’s more of a coping mechanism. We’re not OK with what’s happening.
Mason, 23, Ohio, white, independent, automation engineering
A lot of our leaders, as far as higher up in our government goes, are the same old people that were in power when my mom and my dad were in their 20s and 30s. I kind of feel let down a little bit by my mom and dad’s generations for not taking the reins of power and doing their part to then hand the reins off to us. I kind of feel like our generation’s starting to say: Hey, get with the program. We’re not going to stand for this hooliganism anymore. We’re taking charge.
Hung, 27, Pa., Asian, Democrat, software engineer
We actually do want to work. There just aren’t a lot of opportunities. There just aren’t enough jobs. And following up to Mason’s point we’re the generation that’s finally speaking up after, what, two different generations that said, like, yeah, we’ll be OK. We’ll let the system work it out. We are fed up. Look at the millennials. They went through three different types of once-in-a-lifetime economic failures or global pandemic, from the dot com to ’08 and to Covid. We just are tired of the way the government is treating us, and we’re trying our best to speak up.
