For young people across the country, the days preceding this year’s election were marked by anxiety, adrenaline, maybe even hope. For those of us who were very online, those days were also soundtracked by the resurgence of a 2005 audio recording of Donald Trump bragging about being able to sexually assault women: “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the p*ssy. You can do anything,” he said in the tape, first released in October 2016 by the Washington Post.
The recording resurfaced again this election season in large part due to a viral video from TikToker Soleil Golden (@toxicthotsyndrome), which helped (re)introduce Gen Z to Trump’s misogynistic past. Soon, it was all over social media, with young voters expressing shock and disbelief that he could win another four years in the White House. And then, on Nov. 6, he did just that.
Following Trump’s reelection, similarly misogynistic language swiftly began cropping up, notably in the form of “your body, my choice,” a slogan that 26-year old “manosphere” streamer Nick Fuentes posted on X on election night, and that quickly picked up steam among right-wing men and boys celebrating Trump’s victory.
In the wake of an election period bookended by Trump’s “locker room” comments on one end and spikes of misogynistic hate and harassment from Trump supporters on the other — further inflected by the possibility of Trump and other conservatives rolling back protections for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and so many other issues young people care deeply about — many Gen Z women and nonbinary people are reckoning with the reality of the impending MAGA presidency, and a country they feel ignored by.
Her Campus conducted a survey of our audience immediately following the election to get a sense of how young people are feeling in the wake of Trump’s win, and young progressive women and nonbinary people overwhelmingly shared fears for their rights and frustration with the voters who led the country to this point. Here are some of their responses.
They’re feeling frightened and personally threatened.
A vast majority of those surveyed by Her Campus expressed disappointment for Trump’s win — which is unsurprising, considering 82% of respondents said they voted for Harris. A large number of these respondents specifically expressed fears that protections for their rights and the rights of loved ones would be rolled back or eliminated altogether. Some even said they felt physically sick with fear following the news of Trump’s win, to the point of “numb shock,” crying, and vomiting.
In Georgia, 20-year-old Megan* said she felt angry with how she felt her rights had been cast aside by Trump’s voters. “I am Black, queer, a woman, and a student. I am so proud to be all of those things. Every single one of my human rights was on the line in this election and our country voted against my rights,” she said. While she expressed hope for future Gen Z leadership and said she’s “not done fighting,” her disappointment with Trump’s win remains.
I feel like I lost my rights as a woman.
She’s certainly not alone. “My rights are being ripped away from me and every other uterus owner, LGBTQ+ person, disabled person, or person of color,” said Beatriz*, a 20-year-old from Illinois who spent the day post-election in bed and “cry[ing] out of terror.”
Many cited fear specifically for their reproductive rights, as the first Trump presidency resulted in the Supreme Court supermajority that overturned Roe v. Wade, and has since put other protections, like access to birth control and IVF, at risk.Â
“I fear for what would happen to my friends, family, and women in other states if they were to need reproductive care,” said June*, a 23-year-old from New Jersey.
Another woman, 25-year-old Veronica* from Georgia, agreed: “I feel like I lost my rights as a woman.”
Harris’s loss is emblematic of how women and those in marginalized communities struggle to succeed.
In her decade-plus career as a public servant, Vice President Kamala Harris has served as attorney general, senator, and now, VP. Trump, on the other hand, made his public office debut when he won the presidency in 2016. He was also impeached twice, and was more recently found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsified business records related to hush money he allegedly paid to influence the 2016 election outcome. Many young people take issue with this.
“Kamala Harris was clearly overqualified,” said Olivia*, an 18-year old first-time voter from Arkansas. “Her background as a senator, attorney general, and vice president shows a deep understanding of governance and policy…. It’s frustrating that someone with such a controversial and legally compromised record could regain public trust, especially when those charges range from financial crimes to undermining democracy itself. She added: “It feels like accountability doesn’t matter as much as it should.”
The outcome of the election reminded me that it is impossible to be a woman in this country.
Others saw Trump’s win as a broader indictment of American patriarchy. “The outcome of the election reminded me that it is impossible to be a woman in this country,” said Avery*, a 25-year-old from Georgia. Like many of her peers, she expressed shock “that most of America would rather see a convicted felon run this country than a highly qualified political woman candidate.” Or, as Devi*, a 21-year-old from Illinois, put it: “My country decided that the first felon president would serve us better than the first Black female president.”
Many attribute Trump’s win to self-interest.
Although vote counts aren’t yet certified in all states, the almost-final numbers show that Trump won a plurality of the popular vote (with 1.6% more votes than Harris), making him the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004 and the candidate with the smallest margin of victory of all the candidates who have won both the electoral and popular vote since 2000. He secured his win with over 76 million votes.
I feel betrayed and sad and scared.
Many of the Gen Z women surveyed expressed concern that so many people were able to look past what they see as Trump’s insurmountable downsides — or even voted for him because of them. “I feel betrayed and sad and scared,” said Ellie*, a 24-year-old from New Jersey.
Some people, like Carson*, a 26-year-old from Oklahoma, shared that, while she understands why some would have frustrations with Harris’s platform due to issues like immigration, the economy, or her stance on Israel, she was still surprised Trump won, given his turbulent and controversial history. “I am appalled [by] the sheer amount of people who believed the lies that Trump told,” she said. Carson also expressed “anger that so many people still chose to vote for him.”
Margo*, a 20-year-old from Massachusetts, expressed disappointment that “America [didn’t] do a better job of looking out for marginalized communities.” She wrote, “Especially in the aftermath it’s become really clear to me that a lot of voters really only care about how things affect them personally, and that’s incredibly scary to me.”
Many expressed a similar sentiment, including Amy*, a 21-year old from Minnesota. “As a woman, this election felt very personal,” she said. “It was disappointing to see over half of our country prioritize the economy over human rights.”
*Names have been changed.