What President-elect Trump must do to regain our trust

Throughout the presidential campaign, one fact was abundantly clear: millennials weren’t enthusiastic about any of the major candidates. And they had every right to be disenchanted with their choices. As I wrote here last week, neither of the candidates engaged young Americans on the issues that matter most to us. It’s no wonder our generation mostly tuned out. 

But now that the election is over, President-elect Trump must find a way to regain our trust and support. Why? Well, despite being the biggest losers of this election, our generation is the largest voting bloc in the country.

Perhaps more importantly, we don’t trust government, and we feel as though the system is rigged against us. Thus, our future level of civic participation and interest in the political process may hinge on whether Trump genuinely listens to our concerns, and pursues policies that unleash opportunity for my generation.

To that end, here are a few items the Trump administration should prioritize from the outset:

Pass Criminal Justice Reform

As a millennial advocate who has traveled around the country and heard from hundreds of young voters, I can tell you unequivocally that this is a major issue right now for my generation. President Trump must work with the next Congress to implement solutions that create a smarter, fairer system that helps bridge the gap in communities that have been torn apart by conflict.

Currently, there is legislation in Congress, the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015, that would begin to restore opportunity for young Americans by reducing certain mandatory minimum sentences imposed on nonviolent drug offenders. It would also give judges more leeway to impose sentences below the mandatory minimum for low-level drug offenders, ensuring that the punishment fits the crime.

Polls show that criminal justice reform is a top issue for millennials, who make up nearly 40 percent of the federal inmate population and half of state prison population. President-elect Trump should work with Congress to pass this bill as soon as possible.

Present A Real Plan For Jobs & Education

In addition to a broken criminal justice system, younger Americans are also dealing with skyrocketing higher education costs and an economy where opportunity is too hard to find. Average tuition rates have spiked in recent years, to the point where outstanding student loan debt has climbed above $1.3 trillion. “Free college” might have made for a cheap and easy soundbite on the campaign trail, but my generation is smart enough to know that’s not the answer.

We need the Trump administration to come together with lawmakers on a quality plan that truly makes education affordable. And those of us who aren’t planning on enrolling at a traditional four-year college or university need to know what the incoming administration has in mind for improving our access to quality jobs and opportunities.

You might not be aware of this, but the current youth unemployment rate is more than double the national rate of 4.9 percent — it’s time for President-elect Trump to explain in detail how he’ll tackle this problem facing us.

Stop Pandering, Start Listening

Millennials are naturally skeptical when it comes to promises from politicians, and they know when they’re being pandered to. That’s why blatant efforts by the candidates to superficially appeal to us this cycle with free concerts and ads featuring Hollywood celebrities didn’t work. Simply put, my generation easily spotted the candidates’ lack of authenticity, and made a firm decision to not buy what they were selling.

For President-elect Trump, the takeaway should be that young people want actual solutions to the problems they face, and they want to hear the specifics. Millennials aren’t just a throwaway line in a stump speech; we have real concerns and needs that need to be addressed as soon as possible.

At the same time, it’s up to us to make our voices heard. We have a golden opportunity to push for the types of changes we want to see, but we won’t get anything done by sitting on the sidelines and allowing Washington to continue taking us for granted. If so, we’ll end up right back in the same situation four years from now.

If one thing is clear going forward, the next administration must work hard to regain our trust and bring us back to the table. If that happens, we should seize the opportunity to pull up a chair and join the conversation.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.