The coalition that delivered Donald Trump a stunning victory in 2024 is cracking. The pillars of his support – young men and Latino voters who defected to the GOP in historic numbers – are now crumbling under the weight of broken promises, economic pain, and a lawless crusade against the very freedoms they were told he would protect. Polling shows a precipitous drop in the president’s approval ratings among these key demographics, revealing a presidency in crisis and a base that feels deeply betrayed.

This is not a simple case of buyer’s remorse. It is a mass awakening to the reality that the Trump administration has been an unmitigated disaster, not just for the left, but for the very people who placed their faith in his populist agenda. Since taking office, the administration has engaged in what can only be described as a massive international crime spree, including kidnapping, terrorism, and widescale violations of the 1st and 4th amendments. Now, the bill is coming due, and his most ardent supporters are the ones paying the price.

The Youth Revolt: “A Vote to Make Men Great Again” Turns Sour

One of the most shocking elements of the 2024 election was Trump’s surge with young voters. He nearly erased a 24-point deficit from 2020, winning over a majority of young men with promises of a “masculinist” agenda that would restore traditional masculinity. It was, as some focus group participants said, a vote to make men great again.

Now, that promise rings hollow. A new Pew Research Center poll shows Trump’s approval among his own voters under 35 has cratered from 92% in February to just 69% – the largest drop of any age group. The reason is simple: Trump has failed to deliver.

The economy he promised is a mirage. The latest jobs report reveals losses in male-dominated fields like manufacturing and construction, leading to what Bloomberg Opinion columnist Allison Schrager calls a “‘He-cession.’” The unemployment rate for men ages 20-24 is rising, even for those with college degrees. Meanwhile, Trump’s punishing tariffs are sending prices soaring, a reality confirmed by the most recent Consumer Price Index.

“Their concerns are not that dissimilar to many Americans. No. 1 is inflation. No. 2 is cost of housing. They’re worried about their future,” said Aaron Smith, founder of the Young Men’s Research Initiative, in a June NPR interview. He told me that young men are deeply disappointed by Trump’s failure to reduce their cost of living. “They still feel this intense dissatisfaction with the status quo, this sense of not having a clear path to the middle class.”

Even more damning for Trump is his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein saga. The “manosphere” figures who helped elect him are now in open revolt after the FBI declared there was no client list and reaffirmed Epstein’s death was a suicide. Trump, who promised transparency, has done a complete 180, dismissing the entire affair as a hoax – essentially admitting he has something to hide and validating suspicions that he himself may be on the client list.

This betrayal has not gone unnoticed. Influential figures like podcaster Candace Owens accused Trump of betrayal, stating, “He’s just handed over the reins to the deep state, as evidenced by the fact that he is letting go of the Jeffrey Epstein story.” Comedian Andrew Schulz noted the unprecedented nature of Trump’s actions on his Flagrant podcast. “Trump is usually so transactional with the base…On this, he is rebuking the base, like almost like spitting in their face.”

From “Hola, Trump” to “Adios“

The erosion of support is just as severe among Latino voters, another demographic crucial to his 2024 win. After Trump secured a record 43% of the Hispanic vote, new polling from Somos Votantes shows his net approval has plunged from -11 in February to -23 in September.

The primary driver is the economy. Sixty-four percent of Hispanic voters rate the economy as “poor,” and a growing majority believe Trump’s tariffs are directly responsible for driving up their cost of living. With Latino households especially vulnerable to economic shocks, the combination of inflation, a weakening job market, and a housing affordability crisis has been devastating. The administration’s cruel and chaotic immigration policy, which has seen law-abiding residents and even U.S. citizens swept up in mass deportation raids, has only added to the anxiety.

Latinos see a president obsessed with tariffs and the border while they struggle to afford food and housing. According to the polling, only 17 percent believe Trump is focused on inflation. “The drop in support… should be a ‘warning sign’ to Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms,” Clarissa Martínez De Castro of the UnidosUS Latino Vote Initiative told Newsweek.

The Hedonic Treadmill of Fascism

What explains this lurch towards self-destruction? Trump appears to be hopelessly stuck on a political hedonic treadmill. This psychological principle posits that humans quickly return to a baseline level of happiness, no matter how great the triumph. For Trump, the high of his 2024 victory has faded. To feel the same rush, he requires ever-escalating displays of power and domination.

This has manifested as a fascist war on the U.S. Constitution. His latest mission is the complete obliteration of the First Amendment. Following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, the administration has threatened a chilling crackdown on anyone critical of the right-wing activist. Attorney General Pam Bondi promised the Justice Department “will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech” – a concept that has no legal basis in the United States.

This was a bridge too far, even for some of his most loyal propagandists. Staunch Trump supporters like Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon have publicly condemned the move. “You hope that a year from now, the turmoil we’re seeing in the aftermath of his murder won’t be leveraged to bring hate speech laws to this country,” Carlson warned on his show. “Because if they can tell you what to say, they’re telling you what to think.” He called for “civil disobedience” if such laws were passed, a stunning rebuke of the administration he helped empower.

This tyrannical impulse is the key to understanding Trump’s long list of broken promises. He didn’t end the war in Ukraine or the Palestinian Holocaust in Gaza; he has pledged to continue them indefinitely while trying to ignite a new war with Venezuela. He abandoned fiscal conservatism, pledging unlimited funding for Israel to facilitate the mass murder of innocent Palestinians, and raising the national debt by trillions. His anti-business policies have thrown corporations into chaos, and the economy is imploding. For his supporters, there has been no perceived benefit to the massive, ongoing crime spree.

But where is the opposition? Inexplicably, the Democratic Party has not only laid down its arms but has actively supported many of Trump’s initiatives and crimes. This is the tragic result of a party that was taken over by right-wing Zionists after the 2020 election. Instead of fighting fascism, they have become its silent, and at times vocal, partners.

The Trump presidency has been an unmitigated disaster by every conceivable measure. He has betrayed his voters, trashed the economy, and launched a criminal assault on American democracy. With his support now in freefall, the question is no longer if his regime will collapse, but what will rise from the ashes when the only alternative is a Democratic party that has proven itself to be complicit.