Episode 17: Trump Isn’t Just Losing Ground With Young Men, with Mary Radcliffe from FiftyPlusOne

Decision Desk HQ Podcast · Feb 12, 2026 · 47m

In recent months, one growing political narrative is the extent to which President Donald Trump has lost ground with young men. In the 2024 election, Trump lost among 18-29 year olds as a whole, but he did better than in his past elections. His improvement among young men especially stood out because he actually carried the group as a whole, according to some studies. The explanations for Trump’s performance have ranged from negative economic views among young people to Trump’s embrace of podcasters to connect with voters.

Yet recent research suggests young men have soured on Trump. One study…