The Return of Doubt – How Donald Trump Is Losing the Millennials

Donald Trump had almost won them over – the millennials, the largest generation in the U.S. electorate. Between 2020 and 2024, the Democrats’ lead among voters aged 30 to 44 shrank to just a few percentage points. But now, half a year after his return to the White House, the mood is shifting.

According to a new YouGov/Economist poll, only 40 percent of millennials now support the president, while 53 percent disapprove. Just a week earlier, the numbers were nearly even. The turning point appears to be Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles – in response to protests against ICE raids in migrant neighborhoods. Images of heavily armed soldiers, tear gas, and injured journalists spread rapidly. For many young people, it was the moment when hope turned into distrust.

Trump’s credibility on economic matters is also fading. His approval among millennials on economic policy dropped from 43 to 38 percent in a single week – and from 39 to 33 percent on inflation, despite stable consumer prices. What matters is the feeling: uncertainty, anxiety about the future, the vague sense that Trump’s promises of “renewal” are falling flat.

The shift in sentiment is especially clear on immigration policy. While the general population appears to be coming to terms with Trump’s tough measures, 48 percent of millennials consider his approach too harsh. For them, it is not an ideological issue, but a personal one – what if it affects them? A friend, a classmate, a neighbor?

Political scientists are calling it a “return to the center” – many young voters who supported Trump in 2024 are now responding with disillusionment. His grand promises – lower prices, more jobs, national unity – stand in stark contrast to a reality marked by violence, repression, and unrest. Sociologist Lucas Walsh calls it “a quiet disillusionment.”

Other polls still show stable or even slightly rising numbers for Trump. But among the generation that will soon set the tone, he is clearly losing ground. Perhaps it is only a momentary dip. But perhaps it is also the beginning of the one movement Trump fears most – a generation turning away, not out of anger, but out of disappointment.