The young men who helped propel Donald Trump back into the White House are now expressing deep regret, according to a leading Harvard pollster.
John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, told Joanna Coles on The Daily Beast Podcast that young men aged 18 to 29 are beginning to turn on the president.
“They’re turning against him,” Della Volpe said. “More young people now believe Donald Trump is doing more harm than good. That’s essentially their report card.”
Trump narrowly reclaimed key battleground states in 2024, thanks in part to targeted appeals to disaffected young men through right-wing influencers and anti-woke messaging. But those same voters now feel let down.
“Younger people are starting to ask: ‘Where’s the economic benefit I was promised? What about me?’” said Della Volpe, who advised Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and later supported Kamala Harris through a PAC in 2024.
Since Trump’s return to office, the economy has seen significant volatility. His “Liberation Day” tariffs, announced in April, triggered a spike in import costs that are now hitting consumers hard.
Coles expressed surprise that many young men didn’t recall Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021. But Della Volpe explained that many in the 18-to-24 age bracket were too young to fully grasp or remember his earlier presidency, having only experienced it during the early pandemic.
“Older millennials and younger Gen X voters—those in their late 20s and 30s—have clearer memories of Trump’s first term, and they lean more Democratic,” he said. “But across the board, the demand now is for stability—especially economic.”
Trump’s appeal to younger men wasn’t necessarily policy-driven, Della Volpe noted, but more about persona. “They weren’t looking for someone to protect institutions—they wanted someone who appeared strong and could fight for those feeling left behind economically.”
That appeal is fading fast. After just six months of Trump’s second term, approval among young voters has plunged. “His ratings among young people are in the 30s,” Della Volpe said.
A recent Harvard report found that over 40% of Americans under 30 say they’re “barely getting by” financially, and fewer than one-third approve of Trump’s performance.
Young Latino men were a key demographic for Trump in 2024, but many are now facing economic hardship. According to Harvard polling, 52% of young Hispanic Americans report struggling financially—more than their white (38%) or Black (45%) peers.
