Several young voters who backed Donald Trump in the last election have revealed why their support for the president has plummeted.
A total of 14 Trump supporters under the age of 30 took part in NBC News’ “Deciders” series, which examines the views of voters in the 2024 election. Of these 14 participants—eight independents and six Republicans—nine said they disapproved of Trump’s overall job performance so far, while five approved.
“I believe my trust in the administration has completely nosedived because of how he’s mishandled things,” said Anthony H., a 22-year-old Republican from Nevada who now regrets his vote. He cited Trump’s handling of immigration and foreign affairs for the decline of his support for the president.
Sean M., a 23-year-old independent from Pennsylvania, also pointed to Trump’s hardline immigration approach as a reason for his disapproval after the president’s return to the White House. “I have not been agreeing with just taking a bunch of immigrants and even if they are innocent and throwing them back to God knows where,” Sean said.
Trump’s rise in support among young voters was one of the key reasons for his sweeping 2024 victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris. He won 43 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 last November, a nine-point rise from 2020, according to an NBC News exit poll. Trump also secured 49 percent of males in this age group, compared to 48 percent for Harris.
But as Trump’s second term enters its 10th month, young voters have cited his sweeping tariff plans, mass deportation push, and fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein saga as reasons their support for the 79-year-old is waning.
“The tariffs have been a little counterintuitive,” said Elizabeth M., a 25-year-old Arizona independent whose husband, a car salesman, has been affected by the rise in prices for car parts. “I believe with the reasoning behind them, I do think that something has to be done to compete with the other countries. I think it just should have been affecting maybe the big businesses versus us as the consumers being affected by it.”
“I feel like the transparency as well is an issue, not just with tariffs, but also feeling like he switched positions when talking about the Epstein files, from saying it’s a huge deal to saying: ‘Oh, it’s not really a big deal,’” added Richard B., a 22-year-old from Pennsylvania.
Richard said that while it is not a “bad thing” for the president to make immigration one of his main focuses, Trump also needs to recognize that “people are struggling more and more, and not just housing, but also the state of living itself.”
Still, despite nine young voters voicing disapproval of Trump’s performance, only one said they would vote for Harris in 2024 if given the chance for a do-over.
In September, The New York Times also spoke to a group of young and disillusioned Trump voters who now regret their decision.
Mustafa, a 28-year-old from Georgia, said he now feels Trump is acting as a “dictator,” while 32-year-old independent Kelsey described Trump’s mass deportation plans as “way too aggressive.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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