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Gen Z shifts from Trump

News · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 2 shows · 12m airtime

New Wall Street Journal polling released September 30, 2026 shows Gen Z voters turning sharply away from Trump and the Republican Party, with Democrats leading by 20 points among the group and Trump's job approval at 23 percent approve against 73 percent disapprove. An NPR/PBS/Marist poll now puts Trump's approval among young voters at 27 percent, with 70 percent disapproving and 62 percent strongly disapproving. The discussion covers why young men are hard for Republicans to turn out in midterms, the Yale Youth Poll finding that Gen Z ties to issues rather than parties, and Turning Point USA's campus membership surge after Charlie Kirk's murder.

How 2 podcasts covered it

  1. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-11 (6:17 to 8:00)
    Reports the new WSJ polling on Gen Z
    Walks through the new WSJ polling on Gen Z: a 20-point Democratic lead among young voters, Trump's job approval at 23 percent, and 80 percent calling the economy bad. Also covers turnout difficulty with young men and Turning Point USA's post-Kirk membership surge.
    New angle: WSJ polling shows Gen Z Democrats ahead by 20 points and Trump's approval among young voters at 23 percent.
  2. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-11 (8:00 to 9:45)
    Adds the young conservative who regrets his vote
    Stays inside the Gen Z polling story: the economy as the top issue, a 19-year-old conservative who regrets his 2024 vote, and Trump's AI memes as a source of frustration. No new figure or development beyond the poll already on the record.
  3. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-11 (10:41 to 12:14)
    Walks through the WSJ Gen Z poll
    Zitner walks through the same WSJ poll already on the record: Democrats up 20 among Gen Z against an 8-point overall lead, Trump at 23 approve and 73 disapprove. Adds the 2024 comparison, but the numbers are the ones already logged.
  4. The NPR Politics Podcast, 2026-10-16 (11:16 to 18:20)
    Sits in on a Gen Z focus group and adds a poll
    Sits in on a Navigator Research focus group of eight Gen Z Trump 2024 voters who describe disappointment and regret, and pairs it with an NPR/PBS/Marist poll showing Trump's approval among young voters at 27 percent.
    New angle: NPR/PBS/Marist: Trump's approval among young voters is 27 percent, with 70 percent disapproving and 62 percent strongly disapproving.
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