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Former President Donald Trump penned an op-ed aimed at enticing younger voters to his side by emphasizing how difficult and expensive American life has become under President Joe Biden.
The op-ed, published by Newsweek, comes on the heels of a recent survey that found Trump gaining more support from a younger voting demographic that traditionally skews towards Democrats than Biden. In his column, Trump compared the results of his economic policies to those of Biden, arguing that young voters had it better under his leadership.
“With less than one year to go until Election Day, the polls show that we are beating Joe Biden by wide margins both nationally and in the battleground states—and young people are a major part of the reason why,” Trump began. “A recent NBC News poll found that we are leading Biden 46 percent to 42 percent nationally among voters ages 18 to 34—a clear sign that young Americans are rejecting Joe Biden’s reign of failure, incompetence, and corruption.
He went on to note that during his term, he managed to help create the “strongest and most prosperous economy” in the world’s history, claiming that, on average, annual incomes rose by some $6,000 with low inflation under 2 percent and gas prices averaging around $1.87 per gallon in many parts of the country. Household wealth, he said, also rose to an all-time high, with the bottom 50 percent of earners boosting their net worth by around 40 percent.
The former president then continued to emphasize how the economy has only gotten worse under the current administration.
“The U.S. economy had never been better for young Americans, but for the past three years, young people have borne the heavy costs of the failed Biden agenda: crippling inflation, soaring prices, skyrocketing interest rates, unaffordable housing, and escalating crime,” Trump said.
“Over the course of the Biden administration, real incomes have gone down by $7,400 per family. Gas prices reached as high as $7 a gallon in some places. Cumulative inflation is 18 percent. And mortgage rates are pushing a brutal seven percent—making home ownership out of reach for countless young Americans,” he argued.
The former president also wrote that during his term, the average 30-year mortgage rate fell to about 2.65 percent, which meant “the median-income American family could afford a mortgage.”
“Yet thanks to Biden’s disastrous economy, interest rates have skyrocketed, making home-ownership out of reach for too many Americans, especially young Americans who in previous generations would be looking to start a family,” he wrote. “As a result, historically high numbers of young people are delaying marriage and children. According to a recent study, three quarters of Gen Z and Millennial couples believe it’s too expensive to get married today.”
He added: “Sadly, many younger Americans are putting their lives on hold because they think the Biden economy leaves them no choice.”
The 45th president went on to accuse Biden of engaging in a “war on energy” that has also made nearly everything powered by oil and gas more expensive under the guise of adopting several provisions of the so-called “Green New Deal,” a radical left-wing plan to boost electrification, wind, and solar over the use of fossil fuels initially proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Thanks to that, Trump continued, “new car prices have surged by nearly 30 percent since I left office. The average new car now costs an astonishing $50,000. You practically have to be a rich person to afford a new car. Because of higher interest rates and soaring prices under Biden, the typical car payment is now almost $750 a month.”
“Instead of helping our young people confidently begin their lives, careers, and families, Joe Biden is crushing their dreams with debt, taxes, and inflation, and paving the way for a future of anger and despair,” Trump added. “Under Joe Biden, we are a nation in decline and rapidly losing the American Dream.”
Trump then laid out what he would do once back in office.
“I will rapidly rebuild the greatest economy in the history of the world so that young people can thrive and prosper. I will stop Joe Biden’s inflation nightmare, increase energy production, massively reduce government spending, and bring down interest rates, so that young people can once again afford to start a family, buy a home, and plan for a great future—the basic building blocks of the American Dream. I did it before, and we will do it once again,” he said, adding that he will also bring “law and order” to American cities and work to reduce the level of drug overdoses and addiction plaguing the country.
“American voters have it within their power to quickly return our country to peace, prosperity, and strength—and no one will benefit from bringing that change to our nation’s capital more than young people,” Trump concluded.
