Donald Trump is intensively courting younger voters in the fierce fight for the presidency. And it must be admitted that he is becoming more and more successful here. While in the 2020 elections, almost 60 percent of voters under 30 voted for Joe Biden and 35 percent for Trump, now – according to the Ipsos poll – these proportions are only 29 to 26 for Biden. The rest do not support any candidate. Moreover, the number of young voters who firmly declare themselves as Republicans is growing. What attracts them to Trump?
Isayah Turner is not a stereotypical Donald Trump voter. She works with animals, has pierced ears and is 23 years old. Last Saturday, he and his mother drove two hours from Milwakee to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to attend a rally for his political idol. – I don't see a risk for democracy because no matter what happens, if he is elected, he will rule for four years and that's it. “I think he just wants to do whatever he can to try to get us on the right track at this time,” said Isayah Turner, a 23-year-old Donald Trump supporter.
Isayah supports Trump's demands for new oil drilling, closing the southern border to immigrants and maintaining access to weapons. He is not alone in this. “If Biden is re-elected, I won't believe for a second that he actually won,” Turner said.
The boy represents an increasingly larger and more important group of the former president's voters – Generation Z. This generation has a chance to decide in November who will live in the White House for the next four years. – When I became interested in politics at the age of 15 and became a supporter of Donald Trump, I was in the minority. I was an outcast. Now, as I look at my peers on college campuses, I see that young people like me are playing an increasingly important role in the Trump campaign, says Henry Wied, a 24-year-old Trump supporter and member of the Young Republicans.
“I don't want us to send soldiers to war with Russia”
Research also shows that representatives of the 18-29 age group are increasingly leaning towards Republicans. According to a Harvard University Policy Institute poll from a few days ago, if the election were held now, 45 percent of young adults would vote for Joe Biden and 37 percent for Donald Trump. Just 4 years ago, during a similar campaign period, the difference was as much as 23 percentage points in favor of the current president. – I think it's a result of frustration with the current administration. I think people are eager for a new national identity with President Trump at the forefront, comments Wied.
Shuster on the first contacts between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald TrumpFacts about the World TVN24 BiS
The erosion of support in this demographic group was deepened – as Reuters analyzes – by concerns about the war – on the one hand, young Americans are afraid of supporting Israel in its war with Hamas, and on the other, of excessive involvement in Ukraine's war with Russia. – We have increasingly higher food and energy prices. I think it's also about foreign policy. I don't want my son to take part in any war. I don't want us to send soldiers to war with Russia, I don't want to go, they don't want to go. People want peace, says Jonathan Boyer, a 25-year-old supporter of Donald Trump. There is also the issue of Joe Biden's age. His existing voters also think this is a problem.
Will Generation Z determine the results of the US elections?
– I'm concerned about Biden's age. Many people talk about it, comparing him to Trump, but the truth is that the latter is only three years younger, points out William Joyner, a Democratic voter.
Reuters interviewed 20 people under 30 years of age who came to meet Donald Trump on April 2. None of these people cared about his criminal cases.
– People who don't like Trump never want to talk. They cut off every discussion. I think this is the main problem. People are not open to listening. They think that if someone likes the former president, he or she must be a terrible person, says Briauna Bonilla, a 21-year-old Donald Trump supporter.
Trump's team sees young people as one of the three groups that could make the biggest gains in the November elections, along with the group of black and Latino voters. Specifically targeting young men, Trump recently appeared at a sneaker convention in Philadelphia, where he put his gold “Never Surrender High-Tops” on sale.
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Main photo source: ReutersTV