How Trump's Recent Actions Are Affecting His Support Among Young Voters
Young voters helped send Trump back to the White House — but new polling shows that support is slipping fast. What's driving the shift, and what does it mean for the midterms?
President Trump was on the road recently, speaking at a Turning Point USA rally Friday night in Phoenix. White House correspondent Liz Landers spoke with Geoff Bennett about how the administration's recent actions are affecting his support among young voters.
View the transcript of the story.
NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
Warm-Up Questions
- Where has President Trump gone on a speaking tour?
- Why is this location significant?
- What are some of the key issues that President Trump is trying to rally support for?
- Who conducted the poll on young voters' approval ratings of President Trump?
- How does President Trump's disapproval rating vary between age groups 18 to 22, 23 to 29, and 30 to 34 years old?
Focus Questions
- In this segment, News Hour's Liz Landers states that Trump "started talking about Iran at the top. But he needs to focus on domestic issues in order to get these younger voters back." Do you agree — do you believe issues within the U.S. are more important to young voters than war overseas? Why or why not?
- The segment reports that as Trump's approval rating continues to drop across all age groups under 35, Democrats are seeing a gain in support. What impact do you think this will have on the upcoming midterm elections this fall?
- Media literacy: At the end of the segment, this image is displayed, though it is never discussed directly. Why do you think this is included, and why at the end? What story is it trying to tell?
What Students Can Do
Take a look at the data from the Yale Youth Poll mentioned in the segment here.
Below is a graph demonstrating President Trump's approval rating among young voters.
The second image shows changes in Trump's approval rating among young voters between the fall 2025 and the spring 2026 polls.
- What has changed since the fall 2025 poll? What are the differences between demographic groups?
- Did the data surprise you? Why or why not?
While the segment above focused primarily on President Trump's approval rating, the polling data also examines many other issues affecting young voters. Choose at least one other graph to analyze.
- For instance, take a look at the graph below, which measures public opinion among Americans on their ability to influence politics.
- Why do you think young voters are slightly less likely to say ordinary people have no influence on government policies? What do you think? Why or why not?
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Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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