It would be an understatement to say President Donald Trump’s once positive approval among young voters is failing. CNN analyst Harry Enten said the better word for it is probably “collapse.”
“Donald Trump put in the best performance for a Republican presidential candidate among young voters since George W. Bush did back in the early 2000. And, you know, he started off his term — his net approval rating among voters under the age of 30 — at plus-ten points. … But according to CBS News YouGov, he isn't falling into the water. This isn't going underseas. This is going into a deep, dark, black hole,” said Enten.
“Look at that: negative-46 points. That is a shift on the net approval of 56 points in the wrong direction since February,” Enten said. “I love looking at these swings, looking at how the electorate changes. You rarely, rarely ever see swings like this.”
Enten said this is all about the U.S. economy and young adults’ boiling frustration with it. Voters age 18 to 29 trusted Trump over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris by ten points on the economy back in October of 2024.
“Look at where his net approval rating is now on the economy: negative-52 points,” Enten said. “It's just stunning. It's just stunning … because the bottom line is, you rarely ever see shifts like this.”
Young voters’ anger at Trump appeared to mirror their growing hostility toward capitalism altogether, said Enten.
“The young folks are just fed up with the system in general, and they want change,” Enten reported, explaining that capitalism's net favorability rating among ages 18 to 34 is similarly taking a dive.
“Back in 2010, when I was in this age group, [approval] was plus-46. But the millennials are out, baby. Generation Z is in, and look at this: negative-11 points on capitalism, in terms of its net favorability rating. Again, another huge shift. A 57-point shift,” Enten said. “When you don't get change, when you don't see the change that you like as a young person, you go against the system and you go against the incumbent.”
