President Donald Trump made surprising gains with young voters in 2024, narrowing a long-standing gap with Democrats.
But just two years later, many of those same voters say they’re rethinking their support, and some are walking away from the Republican Party entirely.
Trump’s recent struggles with the 18-to-29 age group were captured in a new Wall Street Journal poll that found 58% of young voters disapprove of his performance.
Many cite his hardline immigration stance and aggressive foreign policy as reasons for their disillusionment.
‘Not the party I once signed up for.’
Elysia Morales, a 21-year-old student at Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, was once all-in on the MAGA movement.
She voted for Trump in her first election, led her college’s Turning Point USA chapter as vice president, and represented the state as a national committeewoman for the College Republicans of America.
Now, she says she’s had enough.
After watching videos of deportations posted by Trump administration officials and seeing the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, Morales, the granddaughter of a Mexican immigrant, decided to step away.
“This is not the party I once signed up for and registered to be in,” she told The Wall Street Journal.
Morales has since resigned from both her leadership roles, citing Trump’s actions on immigration and foreign policy, including his support for Israeli military operations in Gaza, as major factors.
Foreign policy backlash
Much of the frustration centers around Trump’s handling of international conflicts.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Trump privately told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “People are getting sick of turning on the TV and seeing you bombing everything. The young people don’t like it.”
Although Trump helped push a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, many young voters feel his overall approach to foreign affairs has been too aggressive and inconsistent.
John Carr, 21, a senior at the University of Georgia, said Trump’s recent moves are a roller coaster.
“It seems like there’s always three bad weeks then one couple of good days,” he said.
After praising the president for a military strike in Venezuela, Carr later criticized Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, calling it “silly” and an unnecessary conflict with allies.
Economic concerns take a backseat
Some voters who still support Trump are worried that his administration is focusing on the wrong issues.
Maellie Lewna, a 21-year-old from Xavier University in Ohio, said, “A lot of people expected him to address economic issues first.”
She still backs Trump but is concerned that deportations and foreign policy have taken center stage instead of inflation and jobs.
To win back younger voters, Trump has proposed banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes and capping credit card interest rates.
He has also moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
But for many, these efforts haven’t made up for what they see as broader missteps.
Regret sets in
Jathin Desan, a 22-year-old medical student in Philadelphia, said he regretted his vote after seeing Democrats fight to extend health-care subsidies during the government shutdown.
“It was admirable to see Democrats fighting for some of the basic needs that the government needs to provide,” he said.
Jaden Blomberg, a 22-year-old food-service worker from Sugar Grove, Illinois, said he supported Trump for his “America First” message, but feels the president has spent too much time focused overseas.
“I don’t think that this particular moment in history, while we have internal problems, we should be fighting on the other side of the world,” he said.
Blomberg also raised concerns about the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files, which he says raised red flags.
Some still sticking by him
Not every young voter is jumping ship. Michael Falcone, 27, who works in construction sales in Westchester, New York, said Trump has done well overall.
He called the U.S. strike in Venezuela “a crazy power move” and dismissed the controversy over Greenland.
“Nothing new here, just Trump being Trump, saying crazy things to work out a deal on our behalf,” he said.
But with midterms around the corner and Republicans holding only a slim majority in Congress, Trump’s team is feeling the pressure.
According to campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez, the focus now is on “making life more affordable for working Americans, and winning the midterms.”
Whether that strategy will be enough to bring young voters back into the fold remains to be seen.
For now, many say the version of the Republican Party they see today doesn’t match the one they thought they were signing up for in 2024.