An attendee displays a sign during the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 9, 2026. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak
A key voting bloc that helped propel President Donald Trump to the White House in 2024 is abandoning him in droves, The New York Times reported Friday, just 18 days before the midterms.
“Trump’s becoming an old, crazy man,” said Michael Johnson, 26, speaking with the Times. “He doesn’t care anymore.”
Johnson not only voted for Trump in 2024, but claimed to have persuaded 15 members of his extended family to do so as well, initially supporting Trump after he “started seeing the rise in biological males in women’s sports.” For the upcoming midterms, however, he told the Times he “can’t go red, not this time,” citing the rise in fuel and housing costs.
Johnson is just one of many young former Trump voters who have indicated they’ll either support Democrats in the midterms or not vote at all. A recent New York Times / Siena University poll showed a dramatic shift among young voters when compared with 2024, one that could be decisive in deciding Congress’ makeup for the next two years.
In 2024, 55% of young men supported Trump, as did 31% of young women, per the Times’ poll. Those numbers have since plummeted, with young men now favoring Democrats by one percentage point and just 13% of young women supporting Republicans.
“I’m a Catholic conservative, not a Christian nationalist. We have respect for women,” said Suzanna Bridges, 22, speaking with the Times.
A past supporter of Trump, Bridges has since abandoned the president and did not plan to vote in the midterms, citing her frustrations with the administration’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related files.
Ryan Gellins, 25, told the Times he and those around him were “tired of the current conversation,” and Liam Howard, 26, a libertarian-turned-democratic socialist, expressed exhaustion over the ever-increasing cost of living.
“I can’t even afford a crappy studio apartment working 40 hours a week in a factory,” Howard told the Times. “Thirty years ago, my job would have bought a house. It’s insane.”
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