With polling showing support for Donald Trump in freefall, young Trump voters were pressed by the New York Times to give the embattled president a report card after eight months on the job.
While not condemnatory, they were far from glowing. The Times held a focus group with 11 young adults between the ages of 28 and 33, focusing on the direction of the country under Trump. He was described as being “reckless” by one participant, while another, identified as a Republican from Georgia, stating, “The way that he’s been handling things recently, dictatorship.”
One common thread that ran through their appraisals was that the president’s actions have not lived up to their expectations when they voted for him last year.
A Republican from Montana, Sarah, gave Trump the lowest scores and said, “Changes were needed to improve the way the country is running. But maybe some of them are too drastic in my opinion, and maybe not well advised. That ranges from health to tariffs to government arrangement, discrimination. I’m concerned about what else is coming. I understand the need for adjustments, but maybe not to this level.”
Kelsey, who identified herself as an independent who voted for Trump, stated, “ It’s not a total disaster, really. Optically, it can feel like a disaster at times, especially with the violence and the blaming. Since 2020, it’s been super volatile.”
“There are a couple of silly things that I’m just like, why is this a thing? Examples are the Gulf of America. Why are we doing that? Renaming the Department of War, I don’t know why that’s even an effort that we’re making. It’s good that he’s focusing on trade, for example, but he’s not handling it the right way,” complained Cory, a Republican from Tennessee, who added. “Trump’s a businessman. And I knew that. And I thought that was a positive. But with that being said, he’s a businessman, and is he making decisions now that’s going to benefit him after this presidency? What’s truly in it for us, compared to himself, after this presidency is over?”
Vice President J.D. Vance scored worse, with only one fan among the eleven.
“I think they need somebody else in there. I don’t know. I just think he’s so attached to Trump that he doesn’t speak his mind sometimes,” stated Republican Abbie, while independent Briana stated she doesn’t think Trump’s VP choice doesn’t have “his own persona. He’s just riding Trump’s coattails right now and taking on his energy and his persona. I don’t know what that will look like without Trump standing behind him, what type of leader he would be, personally, because he hasn’t shown us that.”
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