Jeffrey D. Sachs is hopeful that millennials will save Trump's America from relapsing into backwardness. The November election reveals a generational divide that pits millennials against baby boomers (aged 50-68) and the "silent generation (69 and above)." Trump's main voters - 53% - were over 45. He received 42% votes of those between 30-44, and only 37% of the youth vote (18-29). Trump’s base lies among older voters, many of whom are not educated and unskilled. Their despair drove them into Trump's arms. Young voters mostly reject Trump, "viewing him as a politician of the past, not the future."

Millennials (18-35) who voted for Trump are either young Republicans, or they were carried away by his pro-business pledges, even though they couldn't stand him. These cohorts are becoming increasingly critical in US elections. If they all turned out at the polls, they would make up the nation’s largest voting bloc. Trump's unexpected win sent shockwaves across the country, with anger being particularly pronounced on college campuses. But the bleak situation facing young Trump opponents is about to change, and they will "form the backbone of resistance" to his illiberal policies. In a 2014 survey, "31% of millennials identified as liberals, compared with 21% of baby boomers.... and only 18% of the silent generation....."

Often in life we see "young liberals" or rebels becoming "tomorrow's older conservatives." The author outlines "three big differences in the politics of the young and old." Today's millennials are "far more liberal than the baby boomers and silent generation were in their younger years." This is certainly good news and gives hope to a new political culture in Congress, which has been the venue of the ugliest partisan politics for decades. Trump's hasn't come to terms with "America's growing racial, religious, and sexual plurality."

Growing up in the era of globalisation and technology, the youth are "facing the unprecedented economic challenges of the information revolution. They are entering the labor market at a time when market returns are rapidly shifting toward capital (robots, artificial intelligence, and smart machines generally) and away from labor." On the whole they cope better than many older cohorts, and they are "also decidedly less partisan, and will support politicians who address their values and needs, including third-party aspirants."

Many "elderly rich" Trump supporters relish "a stock market boom caused by the same technological revolution," and benefit from "cuts in corporate taxes and estate taxes," while the young have to bear the brunt "of larger budget deficits." Most of them have to live with their parents, since rents, bills, and student loan debt simply make financial independence unaffordable, while looking for jobs. Trump "is indifferent to the $1 trillion overhang of student debt." The author demands "opposite policy" for the young: "higher taxes on the wealth of the older generation in order to finance post-secondary education, job training, renewable-energy infrastructure, and other investments in America’s future."

Last of all is the climate change. Millennials are "much aware of climate change and its threats" than Trump's generation of older Americans, who are ignorant of global warming, because they didn't learn about it in school. Trump and his cohorts "are ready to put their own short-term financial interests ahead of the dire threats to their grandchildren’s generation," while the young "want clean energy and will fight against the destruction of the Earth."

Young people have no future under Trump, who - unlike Bernie Sanders - dwells on the past. Those white working class men who voted for him will soon learn about his lies and hypocrisy, because he wouldn't be able to bring jobs back. Their plight has little to do with free trade agreements that Trump wants to scrap. What they need mmost, is to improve their skills and deepen their knowledge, by participating in vocational training programmes. On the whole the author sees no reason for despair, because "Trump’s political success is a blip, not a turning point." Today’s millennials, "with their future-oriented perspective, will soon dominate American politics." Trump could be removed from office due to incompetence and other causes, or be unseated in the next election.