Why Young Men Are Abandoning Trump

President Donald Trump’s second administration has displayed a certain kind of masculine flex — the sort that reflects the populist right’s notion of manliness: a defense secretary who tells the world “F-A-F-O;” a health and human services secretary who publicizes shirtless workouts; an upcoming MMA tournament on the White House lawn.

The young American men who delivered a majority of their votes to Trump in the 2024 election, helping make the 45th president No. 47, simply aren’t interested. Polling commissioned for Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank in Washington often critical of progressives, showed Trump’s job approval rating plummeting to 32% among male voters ages 18–29. Additional survey data from Speaking with American Men, a project aligned with the Democratic Party and first reported by Puck’s Peter Hamby, found that just 27% of men ages 16-29 believe Trump is “delivering for people like you.”