President Donald Trump may “hate” his enemies, but new midterm data suggests one group of voters increasingly “despises” him.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten discussed the sharp decline in Trump's support among voters aged 18 to 24 during a Thursday conversation with anchor Kate Bolduan. He pointed to data showing the president's net approval rating among young voters had fallen from 43 percent in 2024 to just 15 percent this year.
“Look at this margin. Look at this margin. That is wild. Yeah, it’s huge. It’s a huge shift. I mean, that is like this isn’t over 20 years. This is over two years,” Enten said.
The shift marks a 28-point drop in Trump's standing with younger voters in just two years, Enten said.
“We are talking about a 28-point decline in terms of where he went from vote share to approval rating in just two years’ time,” he said. “This drove a historic shift away from the Republicans to the Democrats.”
“They, simply put, despised the president of the United States,” Enten added.
The decline follows a period when Trump made gains with younger voters. In 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held a 25-point advantage among young voters. Four years later, that advantage had narrowed to just four points when Kamala Harris faced Trump, according to research from Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Trump also made gains among young men in 2024, winning their support by 14 points. His campaign actively courted this group, including through appearances on popular podcasts hosted by Joe Rogan and Theo Von. During those interviews, Trump discussed his policies, as well as topics such as cancel culture and the UFC.
But Enten said many young voters who gave Trump and Republicans a chance after 2024 became disillusioned with the administration over healthcare, rising costs and the Iran war. Their frustration helped drive record turnout among younger voters and a historic midterm victory for Democrats.
“It is one of the big reasons why Democrats did so well during the election was younger voters who were giving ... a lot of them were giving Republicans a chance, but that chance Republicans squandered, and they said we’re going back in the other direction and we’re supporting Democrats in overwhelming numbers,” Enten said.
In an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” following the midterms, Trump acknowledged that his administration’s immigration crackdown may have seemed “too tough” and may have alienated voters.
