Gen Z's Trump Exodus: When 'No New Wars' Becomes the Biggest Joke

61% of Americans under 30 say the Trump administration is focusing "too much" on international matters overseas. Just a year ago, many of these same voters cast their ballots for Trump as the "peace candidate."

The Broken Promise of 'No New Wars'

There was an underrated storyline of the 2024 election that's now exploding into view: Gen Z really doesn't want America going to war. While economic issues dominated their concerns, a surprising number of young voters volunteered their fears about the US being dragged into conflicts—and what it would mean for the generation that would fight them.

"I think Trump ran a good campaign to young people on stopping war," Nicholas, an 18-year-old from Arizona, explained. "That was one of the main slogans—being pro-peace."

But reality hit hard. Within weeks of taking office, Trump ordered dramatic military raids in Venezuela, threatened fresh strikes in Iran, and escalated pressure over Greenland. The "no new wars" promise evaporated faster than campaign rhetoric usually does.

George, a 19-year-old Republican from New York, captured the disillusionment: "It feels like it's very 'make it up as you go.' When it comes to Greenland, I feel like, 'What are we doing here?' It's not being the good guys on the world stage."

The Foreign Policy Generation Gap

Gen Z may not remember the forever wars like millennials do, but they've grown up watching foreign conflicts unfold in real-time through TikTok and Instagram. These platforms offer an unprecedented window into humanitarian crises, creating a sense of proximity to global suffering that older generations experienced differently.

The polling tells a stark story. Only 10% of Americans aged 18-34 believe the US should take a leading role in world affairs—that's 10 percentage points lower than those aged 35-54 and 13 points lower than those 55 and older, according to Gallup.

A Pew Research Center study reveals an even starker divide: just 39% of Americans under 30 believe it's extremely or very important for the United States to take an active role in world affairs. That drops precipitously with age—a 34-point gap separating them from Americans 65 and older.

From 'America First' to America Last?

The irony is palpable. Trump's 2024 pitch explicitly promised to focus on Americans over foreign interests. JD Vance, who prided himself on connecting with rising conservatives, mockingly warned young voters that Liz Cheney would team up with Kamala Harris to launch nuclear war. He reassured podcasters that "our interest very much is in not going to war with Iran."

Yet here we are. After the US struck Iranian nuclear sites and captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, young Trump voters are experiencing something approaching betrayal.

"The 'no new wars' thing is now the biggest joke of my life," said Corinne, a 22-year-old Trump voter from Ohio. "It would be one thing if I felt like we were getting involved in something that mattered... but we're inserting ourselves in conflict that we have no real reason to right now."

The Domestic-Foreign Policy Nexus

For many young Americans, foreign and domestic policy aren't separate issues—they're connected by resource allocation and presidential priorities. When college feels unaffordable, AI is reshaping job markets, homes are increasingly out of reach, and ICE agents are flooding communities, threatening to invade Greenland feels like misplaced priorities.

Tim, a 24-year-old from Illinois, believes Trump is "using foreign policy for his own good and gain, whether to make him and his allies and friends richer or to make himself look like the most powerful person in the world."

The numbers are brutal. A recent New York Times/Siena poll shows Trump underwater with 18-29 year-olds across virtually every issue: 80% disapprove of his handling of the Epstein files, 73% disapprove on cost of living, 70% on the Russia-Ukraine war, 73% on immigration, and 66% on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.