Several young voters who backed Donald Trump in the last election have explained why they now regret their choice.
When The New York Times asked the young voters for single words to describe life under Trump, “reckless,” “overpowering,” and “aggressive” came to mind.
They were frustrated with Trump’s failure to improve the U.S. economy, his overly strong stance on immigration, abandoning his “America First” agenda, and his handling of overseas conflicts.
In the latest edition of The NYT’s “America in Focus” project, Trump voters in their late 20s and early 30s who said they “somewhat disapproved” of or had mixed views about the president’s performance were asked about their reasons why.
When The Times asked these second-guessing Trump voters for the first word that came to mind when they think of the president, Mustafa, a 28-year-old from Georgia, replied, “The way that he’s been handling things recently, dictatorship.”
Trump’s support among young voters was cited as one of the key reasons for his sweeping 2024 victory. However, polls suggest that this demographic, generally associated with backing Democratic candidates, is already regretting its decision.
A Pew Research Center survey in August showed that 69 percent of Trump voters under 35 approved of his performance as president. While still a substantial number, it represents a dramatic 23-point decline compared to the start of his second term.
Mustafa, who works in the automotive industry, was one of those who told The Times he thinks Trump’s second term is worse than he expected.
“We’re focused on Ukraine and Israel more than I feel like the United States. The military, I like it, has gotten much better than it used to,” he said. “But I thought he was going to come in and end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.”
Quinton, a 33-year-old account manager from Georgia, believes Trump is not living up to his promises regarding the economy, long cited by supporters as one of the president’s strong points.
“For me, it comes down to taxes and jobs. The job market is just not good at all. I have a lot of friends and family members who are struggling to find work,” Quinton said. “He made it seem like he was going to look out for the working-class people, and it’s the exact opposite.”
John, a 28-year-old delivery driver in Florida, also cited financial reasons for beginning to regret voting for Trump.
“I feel like even though my specific investment in cryptocurrency is doing good overall, he has ruined the cryptocurrency market for a lot of cryptocurrencies,” he told The Times. “A lot of these rich people are just pumping-and-dumping stuff, coming out with tokens. And this is not really what I voted for.”
Elsewhere, Kelsey, 32, an independent who works in tech, believes Trump is going too far with his hardline deportation plans. “I just think it’s way too aggressive. Even if it’s the worst of the criminals, can they be treated more humanely once they get to the deportation centers?”
A similar sentiment was expressed by 32-year-old Montana engineer Sarah, who said she is having a “hard time trusting in my current democracy and my Constitution when I’m not really sure I’m seeing those honored even in these processes of deportation.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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