The future of any nation lies squarely on the shoulders of its younger generation. This may seem rather self-explanatory. Obviously, the generation that will be around the longest is, by definition, the future.
However, it goes much deeper than that. It goes beyond just birth rates to determine the future of a nation. The values of the next generation are what America depends upon. Whether the future will be led by those who value self-indulgence or by those who value living a life honorable to Christ. By those who mutilate their bodies and murder their unborn children simply because of inconvenience, or those who lead lives of discipline and virtue. By those who practice evil, or those who fight for good.
This is the battle that rages on in Gen Z.
In my opinion, my generation is the most polarized on Earth. We lived an upbringing surrounded by constant evil and confusion, growing up alongside the boom of modern technology. This gave evil an unprecedented entry point to corrupt the young minds of the world and lead them astray into a world of pain. Sin was allowed to come barging into our souls at an age at which previous generations were never introduced to it.
This set the stage for a spiritual war, and one that continues to rage on day after day. This is why the future of American politics will not be fought over tax policy or other trivial matters. It will be fought between Good and Evil.
This fight has already begun, but it will only intensify. Abortion, mutilation of children, wide-open borders, and the attempted eradication of Christianity from America are the fights Gen Z has on its hands.
It’s becoming evidently clear to me that the current state of the GOP does not recognize this threat nearly enough.
The Trump administration appealed heavily to the concerns of Gen Z in 2024 and benefited from it tremendously. According to the Harvard Kennedy School, Gen Z shifted to the right by 21 points between 2020 and 2024.
What was the appeal? Was it the economy? Absolutely. It’s becoming more and more difficult to own a home in America as a young person. Was it cutting waste and fraud out of the government with DOGE? Sure.
But fundamentally speaking, I believe it’s much deeper than this. I believe the reason we saw such a tremendous shift to the right from Gen Z in 2024 was that we recognized the true threat of evil bubbling up in America.
We’ve seen our birthright get snatched away from us via wide-open borders. We’ve seen our society get overrun by tremendously gross individuals who want to turn everything gay. We’ve seen the oversexualization of our generation from pornography and casual sex. And most importantly, we’ve seen the demonization of Christ and Christian values.
Gen Z is currently leading the charge to become the most Christian generation alive. A new study from Barna Group and Gloo reveals that churchgoers between the ages of 18 and 28 attend church more frequently than their older siblings, parents, or grandparents. Gen Z recognizes the evil at hand and is increasingly returning to the truth of Christ.
These are the true reasons why so many young people showed up to vote for Trump.
Unfortunately, though, I don’t believe the Trump administration quite understood the assignment.
What Gen Z is seeing right now is just a repeat of the Republican presidencies of old. We’re seeing no mass deportations while ICE is being run out of cities by Antifa. The housing market is being intentionally inflated for homeowners. And to top it all off, we’re now in yet another Middle Eastern war.
A recent poll by The Economist/YouGov, conducted from March 13 to 16, showed that Gen Z had an overall net approval rating of -39 for the Trump administration, with a swing of -11 points in just over a week.
This is not because Gen Z is becoming less conservative; it’s because the current GOP just isn’t getting it.
However, this is not a pessimistic column. This is one of great optimism.
Gen Z conservatives understand the threat at hand. Our opposition is much different than that of our predecessors. Our opponent across the aisle no longer believes in the same foundations as we do. They don’t “want the same things, but just have a different way of achieving them.” The young left seek to wipe away America’s identity, and it’s up to young patriots to stand in their way.
I feel strongly optimistic that the future of the GOP is filled with Christ-like warriors who will do whatever it takes to save this nation and protect it from those who seek to destroy it.
Christless conservatism will have no place in this revival of the Republican Party.
We showed up loud and proud in 2024 in what we thought was the most important election of our lifetime. But, just as loud as we were then, we will be just as loud when you don’t meet the standard.
I see this as a massive positive sign. Gen Z conservatives will not take no for an answer. We have a high standard, because we understand the time we’re living in. Our heart is for Christ and America, and we will not keep the two separate.
Because the current battle for the future of America is not a political one, but a spiritual one.
Justin “JP” Plott is the executive producer/co-host of “The Rightside” and co-owner of Rightside Media. You can find him on X @JPRightside.
