What comes to mind when you hear the word “Republican”? What comes to mind when you hear the word “Republican”? “Free market”Benedict, 24, Neb., white, Repub.“Traditionalist”Stephen, 25, Ore., white, Dem.“Business-minded”Zachary, 25, Mo., white, indep. “The way I view the presidential vote is it’s just two wings of the same bird. It’s one big club, and we’re just not in it,” one participant in Times Opinion’s latest focus group said. “I think the billionaires are always going to have one another’s side, no matter what.”That’s a sentiment often expressed in Opinion focus groups, and this one, made up of 10 members of Generation Z who voted for Donald Trump in 2024, was no exception.Coming from a variety of backgrounds and holding an array of views on how Mr. Trump is doing in his second term — some were pretty satisfied, while some were pretty disappointed — our participants agreed that in general, American politicians have focused too much on wealthier people and older generations.Prices, job insecurity and doubts about being able to afford housing and having children are all weighing on these voters. Still, most of them emphasized the importance of capitalism and individual fiscal restraint.A few participants praised Mr. Trump’s immigration actions, while others took issue with foreign policy decisions or a perception of corruption around prediction markets. That’s probably not enough to convince them to vote blue in November; several called the Democratic Party too socialist, irresponsible or overly inclusive. For now, participants want to see Mr. Trump focus more on the economy, especially for middle- and working-class voters — and for younger people, too.“Please don’t forget about folks who voted for you,” one participant said to the president, “the majority who are maybe not the wealthiest, or maybe not super poor, just the middle-class folks.” By Adrian J. Rivera, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Katherine Miller Mr. Rivera is an associate staff editor in Opinion. Ms. Anderson is a pollster. Ms. Miller is an editor in Opinion. Participants Alvin 24, N.Y., Republican, Asian, engineer Benedict 24, Neb., Republican, white, law clerk Caleb 24, Maine, independent, white, management consultant Christian 25, Tenn., Republican, Latino, curriculum adviser Heather 23, Va., Republican, Asian, dog walker, tutor Jake 22, N.Y., Republican, white, analyst Kim 25, Va., Republican, white, medical scribe Olivier 20, N.J., Republican, white, student Stephen 25, Ore., Democrat, white, analyst Zachary 25, Mo., independent, white, scientist Transcript Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson Do you think that our country right now is headed in the right direction or the wrong direction? Alvin, you’re the only person who says the country is headed in the right direction. Tell me why.Alvin, 24, N.Y., Republican, Asian, engineer There’s obviously a few things that are wrong. But trying to bring manufacturing back is really important. I feel like manufacturing is important for many reasons, such as war, and for giving jobs to American people, too. Everyone cannot go to college. I think bringing back blue-collar work is great.Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson For those who said things are not headed in the right direction, tell me more about that.Benedict, 24, Neb., Republican, white, law clerk Economics. And the way that we are accumulating debt is becoming unsustainable and unfixable. I think a lot of other things trickle down from that.Heather, 23, Va., Republican, Asian, dog walker, tutor I would say I agree with everything that I’ve heard so far. And I would add that the abortion industry and the human trafficking trade is another really big problem that Americans are feeding into.Zachary, 25, Mo., independent, white, scientist We’re a humiliation across the world in terms of foreign policy. The United States is not what it once was. And we can’t seem to drive costs down for the average American. And I don’t feel, up in Washington, they’re really caring about that.Christian, 25, Tenn., Republican, Latino, curriculum adviser I agree with most things that have been said. For people under 30, 35, like us, buying a home seems unattainable unless you have really good saving habits. That has direct impact on the economy, and it trickles down to us.Kim, 25, Va., Republican, white, medical scribe It comes back to the economy for me, too. We just bought a house. And we would not have gotten it if we didn’t have a family member to help co-sign with it. Nothing seems affordable or feasible right now.Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson Whether it’s the economy, our politics or our standing in the world, what are the causes of these problems?Jake, 22, N.Y., Republican, white, analyst I think it’s hard to blame specific groups. Americans are on opposite sides of the spectrum. So it’s hard to push us toward a solution if people are pulling toward each side. There’s not cohesion among a majority of people.Stephen, 25, Ore., Democrat, white, analyst The interests of different demographics, older folks versus younger folks. Most older folks, they’ve accumulated wealth throughout their entire careers, they have homes and their interests are very different than someone who’s just starting out in their career, like most of us here. I don’t think they have any ill will.Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson Tell me more about some of the biggest financial concerns you have personally these days.Olivier, 20, N.J., Republican, white, student The cost of living. It’s just so high right now. I want to eventually live on my own. That’s at the forefront of my mind whenever I buy anything. Would I rather have this or save toward a house? I’m a homebody because I’m always self-conscious about saving, about money and the price of living.Moderator, Kristen Soltis Anderson When you say you’re a homebody, you don’t want to go out and spend money with or in front of other people?Olivier, 20, N.J., Republican, white, student I’ve always been cautious about money. And now the price of everything is just so high. Would I rather go out with friends and spend a couple of hundred dollars every week or put that into investments for a house in the future?Kim, 25, Va., Republican, white, medical scribe Being a homeowner, we’re one bad thing away from being in debt. And because of the cost of things, we’ve had to pull from savings. Just one vet bill, a deductible, whatever — we would be in the hole. We would be back to nothing, to not having any cushion, per se.Jake, 22, N.Y., Republican, white, analyst For me, someone who’s about to start my career, I think job security and a path to moving up within a company or finding different jobs is something that worries me. I’ve heard plenty of stories of people my age and even older that, one day, they wake up and they show up to work, and they tell them that they’re no longer needed. I’m very grateful to have an opportunity for myself now, but I’m just looking ahead in the future, and it’s uncertain about where I might be.Heather, 23, Va., Republican, Asian, dog walker, tutor I’m worried about the price of medical care and the price of food.Do you agree with this statement? “People who work hard can mostly get ahead these days.” Do you agree with this statement? “People who work hard can mostly get ahead these days.”I agree. Alvin,