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Trump's Tariff Policies Fuel Recession Fears As Millennials Coach Gen Z On Financial Survival
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Trump's Tariff Policies Fuel Recession Fears As Millennials Coach Gen Z On Financial Survival
May 25, 2025 9:37 PM

Millennials, many of whom entered adulthood during the 2008 financial crisis, are now sharing hard-earned wisdom with Gen Z on TikTok as President Donald Trump‘s economic policies trigger fresh recession concerns.

What Happened: Sasha Whitney, 37, noticed Gen Z users on TikTok expressing feelings that were “downtrodden, frustrated, very bleak and hopeless about the future” regarding the economic outlook, reported CNN. In response, she created videos walking viewers through recession survival tips, including taking any available job, living below means, and eliminating buy-now-pay-later services.

“If I can give somebody advice, especially younger folks, that’s what I’m going to do,” Whitney said. Having graduated college in 2009 during the Great Recession, she learned financial survival through trial and error, once living on just $20 weekly for groceries.

The anxiety comes as JPMorgan ( JPM ) warned this month that the Trump administration’s escalating global trade war could trigger recession for both U.S. and global economies. Despite a recent 90-day pause on most reciprocal tariffs, excluding those on Chinese goods, economists warn significant market damage has already occurred.

See Also: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Drop As Stock Futures Slide: Willy Woo Says ‘All Dips Are For Buying’ With BTC Eyeing ‘All-Time Highs

Why It Matters: According to Glassdoor data, worker confidence has plummeted to record lows. Only 43.4% of entry-level employees feel positive about their employer’s six-month business outlook – the lowest since tracking began in 2016.

“Entry level workers have less job security. As they see these economic headwinds on the horizon, there’s an understandable concern they might be the first ones to lose their jobs in a recession,” explained Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s lead economist.

Many young adults are already implementing spending cuts. Imani Smith, a 29-year-old in Dallas, now password-shares subscriptions with friends and reduces dining out expenses.

“I want to (save) and build a practice of doing it before I have to do it out of basic necessity,” Smith told CNN.

BlackRock Inc. ( BLK ) CEO Larry Fink recently highlighted growing generational financial divides. “It’s no wonder younger generations are so economically anxious. They believe baby boomers have focused on their own financial well-being to the detriment of who comes next,” Fink wrote in his annual letter to shareholders.

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Image Via Shutterstock

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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