Here is the voting bloc that ‘despises’ Trump

Detailed summary

‘Look at this margin. Look at this margin. That is wild’ CNN’s Harry Enten said Thursday

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.

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.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Independent. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.