In the early months of Trump’s second term, his approval ratings among young men were high. In February 2025, his approval rating was at a staggering 90%. Now, after a year, it has fallen to a 47% approval rating among young men.
Part of this shift reflects a widening gender divide within Gen-Z. It has emerged with polar opposites when it comes to politics. Young women have an average approval rating of 25% for Trump’s performance, while young men have an average approval rating of 45%.
Even so, disapproval among young men has grown noticeably over time. Much of the disapproval stems from how the Trump administration is handling immigration and domestic restructuring.
Trump enacted policies aimed at dismantling the Department of Education. Simultaneously, he redirected funds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a large number of new ICE positions for future operations.
Over the course of a year, ICE agents have frequently appeared in viral social media clips showing tense and, at times, violent clashes between officers and citizens.
At the same time, economic concerns have been brought into question. Trump promised to fix the supposed “destroyed economy” by instituting tariffs on dozens of countries, arguing that the tariffs would benefit American workers.
However, most people don’t know that tariffs actually raise costs and increase taxes. The Trump administration disagrees and says that tariffs bring costs down.
This has caused some young voters to question whether the promised economic boom is unfolding as expected.
What men were hoping to see
Near the end of 2024, Trump was using his platform to attack the Democrats on several issues, regarding inflation, foreign policy, and what he described as “the woke agenda.”
He labeled ongoing international conflicts as “Biden’s Wars,” including the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. He claimed that he–and only he–could end them.
For many young male voters, they wanted a stronger focus on domestic issues such as job growth, healthcare affordability, and economic stability and believe Trump was the guy.
Under Democrat leadership, some felt alienated by what they perceived as an overemphasis on identity politics. Plus debates on smaller issues, such as DEI initiatives, transgender athletes, and border policy.
Most men had enough and felt they were being left out and unheard. Trump channeled their frustration by promising to work on the larger issues, bringing young male voices back into the fold.
Trump’s rhetoric about illegal immigration taking American jobs further resonated with voters who felt economically insecure and tired of seeing immigrants receive more attention than citizens.
This was a major boost for young male voters after seeing a new drive. At the same time, with recent news of Joe Biden’s mental decline, as well as his own approval ratings souring, young men began flocking back to Trump.
Why they voted and who they heard from
After Trump’s first term, most of the country thought that was the end of Donald Trump and his MAGA base.
Nevertheless, many pro-Trump supporters remained. Since then, many right-wing influencers have taken to social media and amassed large followings, particularly among young men who echo Trump’s accomplishments and his new agenda. How did Trump rally so many young male voters?
There were two influential people who helped: Joe Rogan and Charlie Kirk.
Joe Rogan, a famous podcaster with a wide audience, interviewed Trump last October. The three-hour-long video featured them talking about Trump’s plan when elected into office, and his plans to beat Biden and the Democrats, so that he can revive the country.
Given Rogan’s predominantly young male audience, the interview influenced many to Trump. Just a week later, on Election Day, Joe Rogan endorsed the president, sending shockwaves.
Similarly, Charlie Kirk, an outspoken advocate for Trump and the founder of Turning Point USA, helped energize the new generation of Republicans.
He organized debates through campus events at universities across the country, sharing his right-wing populist views alongside his Christian values and with his popular slogan, “Prove Me Wrong.”
He would usually discuss faith, education reform, trade careers, and populist conservative values. For many young men, these talks reinforced a sense of political identity and belonging, and often linked these beliefs to Trump’s campaign platform.
A betrayal of trust
However, as Trump’s second term progressed, cracks began to appear.
Controversies have arisen with ICE over enacting chaos within communities, arresting American citizens, kidnapping children, and causing the horrific murders of two citizens from Minnesota.
Many young voters have expressed outrage. Young men who wanted this now feel ashamed and disgusted by what has been happening across the country. A lot have stated that this is not what they voted for in 2024.
Trump has also imposed tariffs worldwide in the first few months of his term, which critics argue have hurt the economy. This drew skepticism among economists and the general public and sparked fears of a recession.
Furthermore, seeing taxpayers’ money being sent to foreign countries like Israel and Ukraine felt like a betrayal, as young male voters believed Trump would use those funds for domestic policies.
Instead of improvement, young voters see policies that resemble aspects of the previous administration, fueling frustration among those who voted for significant change.
Epstein fiasco
The Epstein files are a massive collection of documents and emails detailing the activities of Jeffrey Epstein and his many associates, including celebrities, business leaders, and politicians.
During his campaign, Trump was adamant on releasing the files, campaigning to release the names of high-level individuals associated with Epstein’s crimes.
That soon changed after being elected. Trump reversed course and became firmly opposed to releasing the files, sparking outcry over the summer from leaders and citizens.
The backlash got so bad that a petition was introduced by two congressmen from both sides: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). They needed 218 votes for the petition to be sent to the floor.
During that time, after a special election in Arizona. The Democratic winner, Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva, couldn’t be sworn in due to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The delays around her being sworn in led to accusations of the GOP trying to delay her signature from being added to the petition, which already had 217 signatures, with hers being the final signature needed to push the petition to the floor for a vote.
Johnson kept delaying her swearing into Congress. On the premise that we’re in a shutdown that lasted 43 days, and we couldn’t do it. Even though a swearing-in only takes a few minutes and requires very little effort.
She was the last signature for the petition to be sent to the floor. All Democrats signed, and 4 Republicans, all were female.
What now? Midterms?
Already, we’re seeing changes from last November’s special elections, including the New York mayoral race and the governorship in Virginia. Both resulted in sweeping double-digit victories for the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, a Third Way poll indicated that around 40% of Independent and Republican-leaning male voters are considering abstaining from voting in the 2026 midterms. Rather than switching parties, many prefer to wait for a stronger candidate in 2028.
What we’re seeing now is only the start of people waking up to what they believe were false promises from the MAGA movement. After controversy upon controversy, Gen-Z voters have had enough.
This moment may represent less of a partisan shift but more of a recalibration. Young male voters who mobilized decisively in 2024 are now reassessing their expectations.
Their frustration does not necessarily signal ideological reversal, but rather dissatisfaction with outcomes.
Now, it’s up to young men to decide. Do they want to keep adhering to the false promises or find a change in leadership?
Vicki
March 5, 2026 at 2:30 am
I support our President 100%. He has done so much more than the media allows to be told. There is no perfect anyone at any job. Compared to other presidents he is the only one to donate his entire salary. He is also the only transparent president ever to keep his promises. He is a very good president.