Young Americans have soured on Donald Trump, with his approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds sinking from 48% in January 2025 to between just 25% and 33% in recent months, according to polls by YouGov/the Economist. Republicans had rejoiced when far more young voters than expected backed Trump in 2024, swayed by his grandiose promises such as vowing to 'build the greatest economy in the history of the world.' However, 15 months into his second term, many feel let down as the economy has taken a bad turn.
Failed Promises on Inflation and Affordability
For young people, inflation is the number one economic issue, far outpacing other concerns. They wanted Trump to focus on affordability, but he has focused instead on his glitzy $400m ballroom, his war against Iran (which increased gas prices), and his tariff wars (which have increased overall inflation). In bad news for Republicans, 78% of Americans under age 30 disapprove of how Trump is handling inflation. The inflation rate now stands at 3.3%, higher than when Biden left office, despite Trump's promise to end inflation on day one. Coffee prices are up 18.7% over the past year, beef jumped 12.1%, fresh vegetables rose 7.5%, hospital costs climbed 6.4%, and electricity increased by 4.6%. Gas prices have soared by over 45% since Trump began bombing Iran.
Job Market Woes for Young Americans
Many young Americans are worried about their job prospects. Since Trump returned to office, the US has added a puny 26,000 jobs per month on average, one-fourth the rate during Biden's last year in office. The US has lost 82,000 factory jobs since his inauguration. The New York Times recently wrote that 'this is the worst spring for young degree holders [to find jobs] since the depths of the pandemic.' Lizabel, a young voter who backed Trump, said in a focus group: 'Things are pretty chaotic lately. A lot of people are struggling to find jobs. A lot of people are feeling kind of pessimistic.'
Broader Discontent Beyond Pocketbook Issues
Beyond economic concerns, many young Americans are upset by Trump's authoritarian actions and never-ending chaos: his deeply unpopular war against Iran, his sending masked ICE agents into major cities, his posting a picture of himself as a Jesus-like figure, his demolishing the East Wing of the White House, and his insulting everyone from Pope Leo to supreme court justices to other countries' leaders. Just 13% of Americans 18 to 29 say the US is headed in the right direction, while 57% say things are on the wrong track, according to a Harvard Youth Poll released in December. Only 30% believe they will be better off financially than their parents.
Higher Education and Healthcare Costs
Trump said he would make college more affordable, but tuition has continued to climb, especially at private colleges. He is pushing for deep cuts in student aid, a move that will hurt non-affluent students. He also promised to lower health costs, but those costs continue to rise. His 'big beautiful bill' and blocking new Obamacare subsidies will cause 10 million Americans to lose health insurance and cause premiums to more than double on average for 20 million Americans, many under 30.
Broken Promises and Political Implications
Trump has broken many other promises, including that he wouldn't plunge the country into needless wars, that he'd cut energy and electricity prices in half, and that he'd increase apprenticeships to over 1 million. Many young people are upset that he has turbocharged the fossil fuel industry, worsening global warming. Rachel Janfaza, who researches youth voting trends, told the Hill: 'It kind of boils down to this … Is the president making life better for young people in this country or not? A lot of young people feel like he's not.' Among young people, Trump's net approval rating has plunged from +5 at inauguration to between -27 and -47 in recent weeks, according to YouGov.
The souring of young voters on Trump is promising for Democrats, potentially helping them do far better in the midterm elections than Kamala Harris did in 2024. Among voters 18 to 29, Harris beat Trump by 19 percentage points, but she still underperformed compared to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Many young voters are seeing through Trump, realizing that Candidate Trump made great-sounding promises to help young people but has done next to nothing to deliver. When young Americans think of Trump, they should think: promises made, promises broken.
