Editor's note: The sources in this story asked to use first names only so they could speak candidly about their families.
“I feel I’m smart. My parents call me smart. I mean, I almost have a 4.0 [GPA]. That’s until I’m against them," Crystal says. "Then, suddenly, it means nothing.”
Crystal is a 14-year-old growing up near Omaha. Her parents are immigrants from Cuba who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election, along with her grandma, great grandpa, cousin, and aunt. If Crystal had was old enough to vote, she would’ve cast her ballot for the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Being the lone person in her family who leans blue has been a frustrating, often hurtful experience for her. “You could argue with them for years, and they still wouldn’t think differently,” the eighth grader tells Teen Vogue.
Like a lot of Democratic voters, a large swath of left-leaning Latinx teens are upset by the results of the election, swallowing a bitter pill with Harris’s loss and fearing a world where Trump’s campaign promises become reality.
Feelings of isolation and anger have taken over their lives. Heated arguments over ideological differences have left some questioning their relationships with family members. And for those living at home under their parent’s rules, the child-parent dynamic only intensifies these standoffs. It’s an imbalance of power that creates a hostile environment, and, the teens say, the right-wing adults in their life use this as an opportunity to “own a lib” that’s easier to dominate.
“They’re older than me so automatically I’m less-than in an argument,” Crystal explains. “Or they scream their arguments so they don’t have to listen to yours…. It’s like they ask my opinion just to make me feel less-than. Because it’s not like they care, they just want to be right and make you feel bad.”
More than 150 million people cast their ballots in the presidential election, with 18-24 year olds accounting for 9% of those votes (about 13.5 million), according to NBC News. Among that age group, 42% voted for Trump while 51% put their support behind Harris. Overall this amounted to a 10-point rise in support for Trump among young people, from 36% to 46%, compared with the 2020 election. Most of that rise in support came from young men. Young Latinx voters ages 18-29 accounted for 3% of the vote (about 4.5 million), with a near even split between candidates (49% for Harris and 47% for Trump).
“Seeing how many people voted for Trump, and the fact that Trump won by such an insane margin [in some places], it really devastated us,” says Selena, an 18-year-old living in Dallas, who worries about how a far-right Republican government will impact her as a Mexican woman and her girlfriend, who is Black, as well as all marginalized communities.
Trump’s gains with Latinx voters have led to an onslaught of conversations on the news, social media, and in person, with many questioning how Latinx people could vote for someone who has promised an immigration policy centered on mass deportation; promotes tariffs that economists say will increase inflation; often spoken or platformed viciously racist rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and lies; and who could further restrict reproductive rights — all issues that will undoubtedly affect their communities.
This discourse is further fueled by a fundamental misunderstanding of who Latinx people are. Latinx have varied histories and experiences and aren’t all motivated by the same issues. And like many Americans, Latinx voters are also being fed right-wing talking points and misinformation online.
There are countless reasons behind the rise of support for Trump among some Latinx people, though perhaps it’s more accurate to reframe that statement by asking: Why are a growing number of Latinx people turning away from the Democratic Party? While white voters drove most of the voting toward Trump’s election, and 53% of Latinx voters went to the polls for Harris, 14% more Latinx voters cast their ballot for the Republican candidate than did so in 2020. Back then, Trump garnered 34% of Latinx voters to his side.
In a piece for Politico, reporter Jack Herrera explained this shift, pointing to economic anxiety among working-class Latinx people (who make up 80% of the Latinx population) and an overwhelming feeling of having been “materially failed by Democrats for a generation.”
Herrera wrote: “For decades, Democrats relied on Latinos seeing Republicans as racist or hostile to immigrants to keep high percentages of that group’s support…. Now, many Latinos seem to have lost enough faith in Democrats’ handle on the economy to join Trump’s coalition, even after years of him accusing immigrants of ‘poisoning the blood of our country.’”
It’s a conversation even the most seasoned political correspondents are struggling with, and left-leaning Latinx teens are contending with having difficult discussions at home with their Trump-supporting family members. Daritza recalls a late-night fight she had with her mom and aunt who both voted for Trump. “I tried to explain things to [my aunt], but she was like, ‘Oh, is that the only thing you have? Where'd you get that from? TikTok?’” recalls the 18-year-old from South Jersey.
“I tried dismissing her," Daritza adds. "I tried saying, ‘I really don't want to talk to you right now. Look at the information yourself.’ And then she and my mom started ganging up on me.”
Daritza, a first-time voter, cast her ballot for Harris because she wants “a better future” for herself and her younger siblings when it comes to education, abortion rights, and jobs. Her mom supports their entire family, and it’s a struggle to make ends meet. Daritza says she often goes hungry, worrying about eating too much food at home and leaving her siblings without enough dinner. Earlier this fall, she says, her family was almost evicted from their home. Daritza doesn’t believe Trump will improve their financial reality. Trying to convey that to her mom only leads to arguments or her mom dismissing her as being “overdramatic.”
Selena says she has a brother and cousins in Dallas who support Trump. She’s argued with these relatives in the past over the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality, and other issues. But after the 2024 presidential election, Selena — who has a tumultuous relationship with her mom and stepdad and was already living independently — cut off contact with any online mutuals and family members who voted for Trump.
Selena makes sure she’s there for her other siblings, though, and she still hopes to educate and connect with them about the election. “I made sure that I spoke to my sisters and told them why it was important for them to vote when they are old enough," Selena says, "and discussed things that could affect them personally in the coming years and how their lives could change.”
Although their home lives have been tense, Crystal and Daritza hope to maintain a relationship with their respective families. Daritza feels “obligated to be close to them” because “they're really my only family out here, since all my family's in Puerto Rico.” But she’s thinking about having an “I told you so” moment with her family if Trump’s campaign promises affect them negatively.
Crystal says she understands how politics lead some people to cut ties with family, but she would rather work on the relationships. “Growing up, my parents always told me that I was what they lived for,” she recalls. “I fear breaking that connection one day. I don’t want to.”
Power California is an organization focused on mobilizing young voters of color on progressive policy issues. Astrid Morales, an organizer with the group, suggests finding a “political home” when your family home is unwelcoming to your ideological beliefs.
“We have small circles where we talk about these types of things, share resources and trainings with one another on how to care for each other,” Morales says. “It's about getting your community organized, holding each other accountable, seeing what has worked for them — and also doing what's best to protect your own light. There's a lot at stake once Trump is in office.”
Morales, whose family is from El Salvador, says she can relate to having right-wing family members. Understanding why Latinx people voted for Trump, and the cultural factors that came into play, is important to continuing conversations that can change minds. “At the end of the day, just be open minded,” she recommends.
Morales continues, “They want us to blame each other, shame each other, when we should be in community with each other. It’s going to take time. The people who have money and power are benefiting from us fighting. They're laughing in our face because we're all blaming each other.”
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