Donald Trump's grip on young American voters has weakened dramatically. His approval rating among those 18 to 29 has collapsed from 48% in January to between 25% and 33% in recent months, according to YouGov and the Economist polling.
The reversal is striking given Trump's strong performance with younger voters in the 2024 election. Many were energized by his campaign promises, particularly his vow to "build the greatest economy in the history of the world." But 15 months into his second term, disillusionment has set in hard.
The primary complaint centers on Trump's failure to deliver on economic relief. Trump promised to reduce prices on day one. Young voters ranked inflation as their top economic concern. Instead, prices have climbed across nearly every category: coffee up 18.7%, beef up 12.1%, hospital costs up 6.4%, gas prices up over 45% since military operations against Iran began. The inflation rate now sits at 3.3%, higher than when Biden left office.
A Harvard Youth Poll from December captured the malaise. Just 13% of young Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction, while 57% say it's on the wrong track. Only 30% believe they will be better off financially than their parents.
Housing, healthcare, and education costs have all accelerated. Trump promised to make college more affordable, but tuition has continued climbing, particularly at private institutions. Simultaneously, he is pursuing deep cuts to student aid. On healthcare, Trump vowed to lower costs, yet his policies will cause 10 million Americans to lose health insurance and premiums to more than double for 20 million others, many under 30.
The Jobs Problem
Trump pledged to create "millions and millions of jobs," especially blue-collar positions. The reality tells a different story. Since his inauguration, the US has added an average of just 26,000 jobs per month, one-fourth the rate during Biden's final year. The country has shed 82,000 factory jobs. The New York Times recently reported that spring 2025 marked "the worst spring for young degree holders [to find jobs] since the depths of the pandemic."
Young voters report dismal job searching experiences. One Trump supporter who participated in a focus group for the Bulwark said, "A lot of people are struggling to find jobs. A lot of people are feeling kind of pessimistic about what things are going on." Job market dysfunction compounds anxieties about artificial intelligence eliminating positions entirely. Trump has done nothing to address worker protections for AI disruption, instead helping AI companies expand.
Beyond economics, young Americans voice frustration with Trump's foreign interventions and chaotic governance. His war against Iran, deployment of masked ICE agents into major cities, and endless provocations toward institutions and foreign leaders have alienated voters seeking stability. Seventy-eight percent of those under 30 disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation.
Trump's net approval rating among young voters has plummeted from +5 at inauguration to between -27 and -47 in recent weeks. The shift carries implications for midterm elections. Harris won voters 18 to 29 by 19 percentage points in 2024, yet still underperformed compared to Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Rising disaffection with Trump could help Democrats gain ground with this cohort.
Other promises remain unfulfilled. Trump said he would not drag the country into unnecessary wars, cut energy costs in half, and expand apprenticeships to over 1 million. Instead, he has aggressively pushed fossil fuel development, worsening climate concerns among younger voters.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump sold young voters on transformation and delivered chaos and higher grocery bills. If he can't convert campaign momentum into real gains for his base, the political math gets much tougher."
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