Gen Z is Out of Patience and Out of Cash
Note: This piece co-authored by a Northwood University economics professor and alumna now working at Stossel TV, originally was posted by Learn Liberty, which is powered by Students for Liberty.
Say what you want about Donald Trump: The man is creative. Really creative. Two of his recent proposals sound like the late-night infomercial between the Psychic Hotline and a guy selling off-brand waterproof AirPods.
50-year mortgage? $2,000 tariff ‘dividend’? You would expect to see such ideas drawn on a Waffle House napkin at 2 a.m. by someone who just discovered compound interest … and hates it.
Do any of Trump’s advisors really think this is going to win over Gen Z? Voters who, according to Nikki Haley’s son, self-identify as the most economically squeezed and side-hustled generation in American history?
Reportedly, these kids have more income streams than a Bond villain. They drive DoorDash between Zoom meetings while editing a TikTok about how they can’t afford dental care. They Venmo each other $7.14 for an oat “milk” latte like it’s international banking.
But sure, let’s pitch them a mortgage that ends roughly when their Social Security kicks in. If that’s still a thing by then. Which it won’t be. Take that promise to the bank.
Let’s be clear: Housing is expensive because we don’t build enough of it. This is Econ 101. Not even the advanced stuff. Figuring out the housing crisis is as easy as “open the textbook and read the first paragraph.”
This is the video equivalent of opening an Econ 101 textbook:
We can lower housing prices by as much as 50 percent if we do a few simple things. Start by abolishing all rent controls, then remove regulatory hurdles for construction entrepreneurs, and fix the zoning laws that are older than the New Deal.
Instead, we get a proposal to stretch the mortgage debt so thin it becomes generational trauma. With a 50-year mortgage, you’ll build equity slower than a DMV line run by a sloth in Zootopia. By the time you pay off your “starter home,” your joints will be begging for CBD-infused Bengay.
Even hardcore MAGA budget hawks are squinting at this one like Dave Ramsey watching a teenager try to finance a PlayStation.
Then there’s the $2,000 tariff ‘dividend.’ A fancy way of saying: “We’re raising prices and giving you back just enough money to not riot.”
How Tariffs Actually Work (See the full breakdown here.)
1. Raise tariffs.
2. Import prices go up.
3. Americans pay the higher prices.
4. The Treasury keeps the difference like a very patriotic middleman.
5. Congress gives you back some of that money.
6. The President asks for applause.
Take a deeper look at the effects of tariffs:
It’s like someone mugged your wallet but left a $2 bill as a consolation prize.
Economists across the political spectrum agree: Tariffs distort trade and raise prices. They act like any other consumption tax, only dressed up in a bald eagle costume. But hey, slap the word “dividend” on it, and suddenly it’s classy! Like boxed wine rebranded as “vintage.”
Nalin Haley claims that his peers are unemployed despite their shiny, Ivy League diplomas. But the Gen-Z kid you know probably already works a day job, a night job, a side job, a weekend gig, and a “social media brand” that earns $17 a month in affiliate links.
They’re not lazy or entitled. They’re exhausted and disillusioned. And they’re smart enough to know a ruse when they see one. They don’t want pyrotechnic policies that look great on a rally stage and collapse faster than a Shein top in the washing machine.
Do you want more Gen-Z votes in the midterms? Try the following: More housing supply. Fewer permitting obstacles. Lower barriers to starting businesses. More competition, rather than five mega-corporations playing Monopoly with the entire economy. Reforms that don’t just rearrange the same problems like economic Jenga.
The Bottom Line
A 50-year mortgage does not solve the “housing affordability” problem. It’s just stretching your financial suffering over more birthdays.
A tariff rebate isn’t “free money.” It just gives you back some of what the trade restrictions stole from the purchasing power of your dollar.
Learn about another institution stealing the power of your dollar:
Gen Z, despite the memes and the plant addictions, can smell political cosplay a mile away. They’ve lived through the Great Housing Bust of 2006, the Great Corporate Bailouts of 2008, the Great Stimulus Scam of 2009, the Great Covid Panic of 2020, the Great Build-Back-Better Racket of 2021, and the Great Biden Inflation of 2023. They know when someone’s selling them snake oil with patriotic packaging.
If you’re into lifetime mortgages and rebate checks funded by higher prices, great. Enjoy the ride. But Gen Z deserves better than political gimmicks disguised as economic solutions.