A Quinnipiac poll showed that voters 18 to 34 were evenly split between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, a surprising result since younger voters usually support Democrats overwhelmingly.
The poll result was tied at 35 points each when all five candidates currently in the race were included. In a head-to-head matchup, Trump was ahead of Biden by one point, 48% to 47%.
The result was similar to the result of a New York Times/Siena College poll from April, which showed the candidates tied at 38% in a five-way race with voters ages 18 to 29. Biden had a two-point lead over Trump with that age group, 47% to 45%.
According to Axios, young voters haven't shown more support for a Republican candidate than a Democrat one was 1988, when George H. W. Bush was elected. The numbers were pretty close in 2000, when the next generation Bush was taking his shot.
It's a big change from 2020, when Biden won young people by 24 points, according to exit polling.
"Biden is out of step with young people on a number of key issues," Aidan Kohn-Murphy told the Washington Post. He called "the frustrations of young progressive leaders a barometer of widespread dissatisfaction among Gen Z voters."
Kohn-Murphy is the founder of Gen-Z for Change, which was previously TikTok for Biden.
Biden isn't very popular with TikTok users since he signed legislation that could see the platform banned in the United States. A fourth of influencers on the left are now posting anti-Biden videos.
Some influencers complained about Biden's tendency to invite only supporters to the White House, ignoring those who criticized him.
In contrast, Trump came out against the TikTok ban and got on TikTok for the first time last month.
Trump may be actively courting young voters with these moves.
He also said recently that he supported a ban on taxing tips, another position popular with the young who often work in positions where tipping occurs.
Trump has also made inroads with other demographic groups that don't normally vote Republican, including Blacks and Hispanics.
Biden is becoming desperately unpopular as voters begin to doubt he can handle presidential duties for another four years, and Trump is the only real alternative at this point.
