According to the Harvard Youth Poll, half of Americans aged 18 to 29 said that inflation is significantly affecting them. Another 45% have trouble making ends meet or feel a lack of financial security. At the same time, young people oppose a war with Iran more than any other age group. In a YouGov/Economist poll, only 16% of them considered the decision to go to war to be the right one.
This opposition to war is also linked to a broader resistance among younger Republicans to foreign military interventions. Conservative figures with a large following among young men, including Tucker Carlson, have criticized the war and argued that US policy toward Iran has been unduly influenced by Israeli interests.
According to a book by Vice President JD Vance, Kirk personally warned several months before his death that many young conservatives consider Israel’s influence on US foreign policy to be too great. At the same time, he pointed out that criticism of Israel sometimes escalates into antisemitism.
Young Men Turn Away from Trump
This dissatisfaction is also reflected in Trump’s poll numbers. Last month, approximately 32% of men aged 18 to 29 approved of his performance in the White House, down from 43% in February 2025. In the 2024 presidential election, however, Trump won the support of 46% of young men, 7 percentage points more than in 2020.
Turning Point spokesperson Andrew Kolvet, who was one of Kirk’s close friends, said that even before his death, the activist had been observing the growing frustration among young people over the administration’s handling of the Epstein case and the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. According to him, this discontent was further exacerbated by the high cost of living.
Despite these challenges, Turning Point has grown rapidly over the past year. The organization currently has more than 3,500 chapters in high schools, representing a 180% increase. It has more than 1,500 chapters at colleges and universities, over 60% more than a year ago.
Turning Point USA Holds Its Ground
Kyle Spencer, author of a book on Kirk’s rise, points out that Turning Point’s infrastructure, including its system for mobilizing young voters, should not be underestimated.
However, she argues that the Trump administration’s campaign against so-called “woke culture”, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs, has deprived young conservatives of a central adversary and weakened one of the issues that has long mobilized them. According to Spencer, Kirk would likely have been better equipped to handle this shift than his successors.
At the same time, a segment of young voters is becoming more interested in socialist and left-wing ideas. Spencer argues that political enthusiasm is currently shifting more toward progressive voices.
This trend could be significant ahead of the November congressional elections. A Tufts University survey of 5,549 young adults found that 56% of respondents aged 18 to 29 consider it highly likely that they will vote in the election. That is 2 percentage points higher than in a comparable survey conducted before the 2024 presidential election, when turnout is typically higher.
Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec, who worked with Kirk at Turning Point, argues that the current situation would suit Kirk perfectly. According to him, Kirk was able to speak to young people in their own language and, rather than dismissing their interest in socialism, sought to understand its causes. Posobiec therefore sees a problem with how Republicans currently communicate with young voters.
(lud)
