(MENAFN- Live Mint) Nalin Haley, the 24-year-old son of former South Carolina governor and ex–UN ambassador Nikki Haley, says socialist Zohran Mamdani's mayoral victory in New York is less an ideological shift and more a warning sign of deep frustration among young Americans.

Nalin Haley, 24, says he's watching his generation struggle despite doing“everything right.”

“My friends graduated with great degrees from great schools, and a year and a half later, none of them have a job,” he told The New York Post.“They didn't do anything wrong... they did everything they were supposed to.”

Haley works in finance in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Republicans must listen to the young

Haley argues that younger voters who backed Democrat Zohran Mamdani are motivated by the same economic frustrations.

Haley, who identifies as a conservative, argues that Gen Z voters are turning to candidates like Mamdani because they feel ignored by the political establishment - especially Republicans.

“I think [people who voted for Mamdani are] saying the same things. They just have some different ways to fix the problems,” he said.“My issue is that the Democrats are listening to the younger people, and it's time for the Republicans to do the same.”

A new Gen Z Conservative identity

He describes his views as representative of a broader shift among young Republicans.

“I think we are seeing a shift in the economic stances of young Republicans,” Haley said.“A free market is basically just a lawless market. I'm tired of the Republican Party selling itself to elites and corporations while screwing over American workers.”

Anti-immigration stance

Haley has stirred discussion with his calls to ban H-1B visas and curb legal immigration.

“I don't view it as responsible to have legal immigration at a time when our economy is fragile and companies aren't hiring Americans, and AI is taking over a lot of jobs,” he said.“It makes no sense to have foreign workers come here [while] we actually are not hiring our own kids.”

Although his maternal grandparents immigrated from India, Haley added:“All I've ever known is America... I'm not gonna have any sort of weird loyalty to a country where I've never been.”

Housing crisis, insider trading, and 'tired of modernity'

He says Gen Z conservatives are preoccupied with housing affordability and“corruption with insider trading,” and that many are gravitating toward more traditional lifestyles.

“Young Republicans are growing tired of modernity,” he said.

'Look at why people are angry'

Haley argues that political divisions stem from unaddressed frustrations.

“Instead of getting angry at people for who they choose to be their voice, [we] should instead look to: Why are people angry in the first place? Why do they feel voiceless? What are these problems and how can we fix them?”

Growing up in the Governor's mansion

He says his parents worked hard to maintain normalcy during Nikki Haley's busy political career.

He recalls the toughest part being the online criticism directed at his mother:“Being the son of a politician who is being criticized is a lot harder than when people criticize me.”

Breaking from GOP orthodoxy

Haley says he and his mother don't discuss politics. His ideological break began in high school as he explored viewpoints outside mainstream conservative media.

“I just started to think for myself,” he said.“I wasn't just accepting what Con Inc or the mainstream media was giving me. I started noticing the things you supposedly weren't allowed to say.”

He now supports“smart capitalism that works for the interests of the average person” and takes a more skeptical view of US foreign policy - especially the nation's relationship with Israel, which he says should“stop interfering in our politics.”

No plans for a political career

Despite his rising profile online, Haley says he has no political ambitions.

“It was never my intention to get any sort of platform,” he said, though he hopes his views push the GOP to address Gen Z's priorities.

A vision for the future GOP

“My hope is that [the party] will help my generation have the same opportunities that prior generations had,” he said.

He believes the Republican Party needs to embrace“a Christian ethic and American nationalism and just economic realism... putting normal everyday American workers first as opposed to the elites.”

Also Read | Not drugs, oil 'at heart' of US pressure on Venezuela: Colombian president

MENAFN26112025007365015876ID1110400686