Donald Trump's Approval IMPLODES With Baby Boomers
Published Aug 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
newsweek.com
President Donald Trump appears to have experienced a modest recovery in approval among baby boomer voters after a steep decline at the start of the summer, according to new polling.
InsiderAdvantage polling shows that in May, Trump's approval rating with the 65+ age group stood at 45 percent, with 54 percent disapproving, reflecting a net approval of -9 points.
However, by June, his support had sharply dropped to 38 percent, while disapproval surged to 61 percent, giving him a net of -23 points.
The August survey, though, may indicate a slight rebound. Trump's approval among baby boomers rose to 40 percent, while disapproval fell to 57 percent, narrowing the net approval to -17 points. The margin of error for all three polls, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters, was plus or minus 3.09 percent.
Why It Matters
Baby boomers were critical to Trump's win in 2024, when 51 percent of the age group voted for him. This latest bump appears to coincide with the U.S. president's efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
On Monday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders at the White House. It was Zelensky's first visit to the U.S. since February 28, when Trump berated him publicly during an Oval Office meeting. On Friday, August 15, Trump had met Russia's Vladimir Putin at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska.
Despite the president's recent efforts, several of the latest polls show declines in Trump's approval ratings on foreign policy. The latest Echelon Insights poll, conducted between August 14-18, found that Trump's net approval rating on foreign policy had declined by 16 points since January, while YouGov/Economist polling showed it had dropped by 18 points since February.
But among baby boomers, there has been little movement on how they view Trump's performance on the world stage. The YouGov/Economist polling shows that his net approval rating on foreign policy among the oldest voters has remained at -3 points since February.
On the specific issue of Russia-Ukraine, approval of Trump's handling of the conflict among baby boomers has seen a notable shift since March.
In March, after Zelensky's now infamous visit to Trump's White House, 37 percent of baby boomers approved of the U.S. president's approach, with 57 percent disapproving, resulting in a net approval of -20 points. By August, approval had risen to 45 percent, with disapproval falling to 47 percent, narrowing the net to -2 points—a significant rebound.
Among all voters, changes were less dramatic: approval went from 39 percent/47 percent in March (-8 net) to 35 percent/45 percent in August (-10 net), indicating that the boost in support has been concentrated primarily among older Americans, while overall public sentiment has remained relatively stable.
Baby boomers also continue to view Trump more favorably on foreign diplomacy than the general electorate. His net approval rating for overall effectiveness in negotiating with foreign leaders stands at +1 among baby boomers, compared with -9 among all voters (which includes the 65 and over age group). Similarly, 48 percent of baby boomers approved of the recent meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska when 41 percent of all voters approved.
A Generational DivideThis polling gap also aligns with broader trends showing that throughout the Russia-Ukraine war, baby boomers have consistently been more likely than Gen Z to express sympathy for Ukraine.
YouGov/Economist data from March 2022, near the start of the war, showed that 92 percent of American respondents over the age of 64 said they sympathized more with Ukraine than with Russia. Yet just 56 percent of those aged 18-29 answered the same—a difference of 36 percentage points.
The generational gap in the poll was even more pronounced when pollsters asked whether Russia was deliberately striking civilian areas in Ukraine, 91 percent of Americans aged over 65 answered "yes," compared with just 47 percent of respondents under 30.
Fast forward to August 2025, and not much has changed. When asked whether they view Russia as a friend or enemy, 68 percent of Gen Z and 84 percent of boomers viewed Russia as an enemy or "unfriendly."
Sympathy in the conflict also differs slightly: 70 percent of Gen Z sympathize with Ukraine, while 79 percent of the over-65 do so.
In addition, 70 percent of Gen Z respondents thought Ukrainian President Zelensky should participate in Trump-Putin discussions, compared with 89 percent of boomers, underscoring that older Americans are more supportive of Ukraine's direct involvement in diplomatic negotiations than younger voters.
Professor Lucas Walsh, a youth expert at Monash University, told Newsweek that baby boomers' memories of the Cold War may help explain their stronger sympathy for Ukraine, while Gen Z's political loyalties are more fragmented.
"For many Boomers, the Cold War of the 20th Century is part of their living memory. Arguably its symbolic ending following the end of the Berlin Wall was one of the defining moments of that century. This might explain why more Boomers are sympathetic towards Ukraine than Gen Z voters, for whom political allegiances are more fragmented," he said. |
