Former President Trump on Wednesday urged younger voters to support him in next year's election, targeting a key demographic that helped put President Biden in the White House amid signs of declining support.
Trump, in a Newsweek op-ed headlined "I Will Make America Great Again for Young People," sought to make the case that the country has gotten worse for younger Americans during the Biden presidency, citing high mortgage rates, rising costs and what he called the promotion of "inappropriate racial, sexual, and political content" in schools.
Trump's pitch to younger voters comes as a series of polls have shown Biden with surprisingly low numbers among young voters, a key part of his victory in 2020 and a constituency that has historically backed Democratic presidential candidates by solid margins.
An NBC News poll released this month found Trump leading Biden among voters aged 18-34, with Trump garnering support from 46 percent of those voters to Biden's 42 percent.
A New York Times/Siena College survey released earlier this month showed Biden virtually tied with Trump among voters younger than 30, with a large swath of younger voters saying they would back independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Biden campaign and its allies have shrugged off recent polling showing Biden trailing Trump, arguing the election is still a year away and the dynamics will shift once it's clear Trump is the Republican nominee atop the ticket.
Still, any losses among young voters could be problematic for Biden, who won voters under 30 by more than 20 percentage points in 2020, according to national exit polling.
Much of Trump's argument was focused on rebuilding the economy and restoring the "American dream" for young people by making it easier to buy a home. Trump noted 30-year mortgage rates have surged since he left office, making homeownership unattainable for many Americans.
"When I take the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States, I will rapidly rebuild the greatest economy in the history of the world so that young people can thrive and prosper," Trump wrote in the op-ed. "I will stop Joe Biden's inflation nightmare, increase energy production, massively reduce government spending, and bring down interest rates, so that young people can once again afford to start a family, buy a home, and plan for a great future—the basic building blocks of the American Dream. I did it before, and we will do it once again."
Trump also suggested violent crime was a major issue for young voters, vowing to "restore law and order in our nation's cities" and "stop the Radical Marxist prosecutors surrendering our cities to violent criminals."
"That's why next November, tens of millions of young Americans will be casting their vote to end Joe Biden's failed presidency, and to finish the job of making America great again," Trump wrote.
Trump is dominating in Republican primary polls, making him the front-runner to secure the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 and secure a rematch with Biden.
