No, We Can't: Young people of all races expect the US to get worse under Trump presidency

Impact

Like the rest of the United States electorate, the nation's young voters are bracing themselves for the next four years of a Donald Trump presidency. And across racial lines, most expect the lives of people of color to become much worse, according to a new survey.

The survey, released on Tuesday by GenForward, a project of the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, sampled more than 1,800 adults between the ages of 18-30 from Dec. 9-26, 2016. It found that roughly two out of every three African-American, Asian-American and Latinx voters expect the lives of people of color to get worse under a Trump presidency, while the lives of white Americans will improve. Meanwhile, roughly half of white voters surveyed expect that people of color will have it harder under Trump, while white voters will be better off. 

These young voters are bracing themselves for specific policy changes promised by the incoming Trump administration. Overall, 71% of young people expect Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act, 69% expect him to cut taxes for the wealthy, 67% expect him to use his power to enrich his family and friends, and 59% expect him to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. 

GenForward/Black Youth Project/Associated Press

On the eve of Trump's inauguration, President Barack Obama's once-ubiquitous campaign rallying cry of "Yes, We Can!" is becoming a faint whisper.