Were you better off five years ago or are you better off today?” the Republican frontrunner asked the crowd of thousands, including many college-age students finishing out their last few days on campus before winter break. “Not one thing has gotten better under crooked Joe Biden.”
With less than a month to go until voting starts in the GOP primary, Trump is dominating his Republican competitors in every national and state poll. And other than several brief mentions of his primary opponents, the ex-president appeared more focused in his speech on a general election match up against Biden.
Trump appeals to voters on economy
If Trump manages to win his parties nomination, young voters like those present Saturday could be crucial for him next November. Recent national polls have shown Biden losing momentum with the key voting bloc that helped propel him to the presidency in 2020.
A Harvard Institute of Politics poll published in early December found Biden only slightly ahead of Trump among voters who are 18 to 29. He held a lead of just 4% – a major drop from 2020, when Biden a similar poll showed him winning the same group by 23%.
Another survey published by NBC News survey published in November found Trump leading among voters ages 18-34 by 46% to 42%.
Young voters present at Trump’s rally Saturday cited economic concerns as a major reason they’re backing the businessman.
David Montenegro, a 22-year-old hailing from Providence, R.I., said most of his friends are planning to vote with their pocketbook in 2024.
“A lot of students are going for internships, are going for jobs. They’re not getting the jobs they want and they feel it is a result of the overall direction of the Biden administration,” said Montenegro, who is studying business at Babson College in Massachusetts. “They want the economy to recover.”