Democracy Dies in Darkness

Biden’s problem with younger voters isn’t only about Gaza

Analysis by
National columnist
April 22, 2024 at 4:45 p.m. EDT
President Biden campaigns in Scranton, Pa., on April 16. (Joe Lamberti for The Washington Post)
4 min

Let’s stipulate at the outset that President Biden’s ongoing difficulties with younger voters — stark when measured overall, less so when considered through the lens of party — are probably not heavily driven by enthusiasm for Donald Trump.

To some degree, sure. But if we accept that Biden is having trouble figuring out what message resonates with voters under 30, we should probably also accept that clunky, dishonest, obviously pandering appeals from Trump (like Monday’s “Crooked Joe Biden is responsible for banning TikTok” riff) aren’t a major driver.