Social media platforms are flooded with videos of young people celebrating Donald Trump‘s presidential victory on college campuses across the country shows broad support for the party Republican Although he is a popular candidate among Generation Z, Kamala Harris‘ efforts to attract voters to his side for the first time.

A student shared a clip Open tiktok Students running into the streets “after hearing Trump won” on the campus of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. Hundreds of young people ran towards the green area on campus, chanting “USA! USA! USA!” He is seen chanting slogans.

Another Grand Canyon University student singing hymns and joining the enthusiastic crowd posted another clip of the celebration writes on TikTok: “I’m so glad I went to a school that loves America.”

Another video shared on X By 1819 News shows dozens of Auburn University students in Auburn, Alabama, singing the national anthem and waving the U.S. flag in response to Trump’s declared victory over Harris.

Trump will likely win both states where two campuses are located. Although Arizona has not yet been called because only 71 percent of the votes have been counted, there is a +5 lead, according to Republican Party data. New York Times. In Alabama, Trump won with 65 percent of the vote to Harris’ 34 percent.

In other parts of the country, young people are mourning. As photos shared by news agencies show, scores of young supporters in tears attended Harris’ concession speech in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

How Did Generation Z Help Trump Win the Election?

These very different reactions to Trump’s victory are indicative of the polarization within a generation whose votes have been sharply divided between the two candidates this election season.

Forty-one million Generation Z voters were eligible to vote in this year’s elections; 8 million of them were first-time voters; This was enough people to significantly help shape the final outcome.

Support for Trump from Generation Z shattered general expectations He said young people would support Harris’ proposal. vice president and his vice president, Tim Walzhas made significant efforts to reach this demographic, including incorporating memes into the narrative of its campaigns.

Exit survey data by: NBC Washington showed that 55 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 (including Gen Z and younger millennials) voted for Harris, while 42 percent voted for Trump. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is now between the ages of 12 and 27. Generation Y is now between the ages of 28 and 43.

Compared to 2020, a significant number of younger voters turned to Trump. Four years ago, 60 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds voted Joe Bidenand only 36 percent voted for Trump.

In the same age group, 49 percent of men support Trump, while 37 percent of women support Trump; This is a sign of the gender divide that characterizes American politics.

Daniel A. Cox, director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Center for the Study of American Life, has written extensively about what he calls “the war within Generation Z.”

In an essay published in January, Cox wrote about the rapidly deepening gender political divide among the younger generation, as women have become more politically aware and liberal in recent years since the #MeToo movement, and men have shifted to the right as an ideology of old-fashioned masculinity. is facing a crisis.

“Due to a growing sense of insecurity, more and more young men are adopting a zero-sum perspective on gender equality; if women win, men will inevitably lose. It’s a perspective that makes them defensive, encouraging them to ignore or overlook the enduring challenges women face,” Cox said in society. He wrote that it could even trigger misogyny.

Trump and vice president J.D. VanceHe offered a lifeboat to these unstable young men by defending traditional patriarchal values ​​and conservative ideas. Moreover, while the Republicans’ ticket may not have reached Gen Z as much as the Harris-Walz campaign did, it may have represented the change many Americans wanted.

Political journalist Peter Hamby wrote in an opinion piece for Puck that the Harris-Walz campaign focused on creating “good vibes” around the ticket by appealing to young voters with celebrity and meme culture, but failed to address the economic issue. This was among the top concerns of all voters.

After four years of the Biden-Harris administration, among the young voters Hamby spoke to, “pretty much everyone,” “even some DemocratsHe thought Trump, whatever his flaws, could probably help their wallets.”