A group of young male voters who helped propel Donald Trump to victory in 2024 are now grappling with conflicting emotions over his administration’s military strikes against Iran, according to interviews conducted at a New Hampshire college.
Michael Leary, a 19-year-old first-time voter, expressed concern that the Iranian military operation might contradict the “America First” message that convinced him to support Trump. The student from Manchester, New Hampshire said he worried the action could drag America into another prolonged Middle Eastern conflict.
However, Leary also acknowledged feeling pleased about reports of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death and wasn’t prepared to criticize Trump’s choice, hoping the joint mission with Israel would conclude quickly without American casualties.
“One of my things with Trump was it was going to be ‘America First.’ That was the rhetoric he was running on,” Leary explained about casting his inaugural presidential vote for Trump in 2024.
“It’s not that I disagree with the war or the strikes … We need to learn more and see what’s going to happen. But it felt like a step back from what he was saying.”
This combination of backing and concern — supporting Khamenei’s elimination while fearing Trump’s “regime change” agenda might entangle America in extended warfare — appeared among five additional Trump supporters during a student discussion Reuters conducted at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire this week.
Young male demographics represented one of 2024’s most surprising electoral shifts, moving toward Trump after Democrats had controlled the youth demographic for years. However, recent surveys indicate this backing is declining due to frustration over continuing inflation and aggressive immigration policies that some consider excessively severe.
Weekend Reuters/Ipsos surveys revealed only 25% of Americans back the Iranian strikes.
The student discussion, though representing a limited sample, provides an initial glimpse into how some young men are interpreting the Iran military action, indicating Trump might have a narrow timeframe to achieve clear American victories and calm a conflict that has expanded into Lebanon, disrupted international markets and driven oil costs significantly upward.
A rapid conclusion to the Iranian conflict could help Trump appear as a decisive military leader, but extended warfare risks alienating the young men who fueled his 2024 comeback.
John Fitzpatrick, a 20-year-old political science student, expressed support for “decapitating” an Iranian government he considered a persistent American threat and characterized Iran’s counter-strikes as “scrambling for one last gasp of air.”
“It would be nice to see regime change — not that we should have boots on the ground or be as deeply entrenched as we were in Iraq,” explained Fitzpatrick, who leads the Saint Anselm College Republicans. “I think it’s overall positive.”
Artemius Gehring, 20, shared similar views, stating Trump’s goal was resolving a decades-long dispute dating to the 1979 hostage situation, when Iranian militants captured the American embassy in Tehran and detained dozens of Americans for 444 days.
“I think what he’s trying to do is just end it,” Gehring stated. “It’s the right move.”
CONCERNS ABOUT MISSING STRATEGY
Tyler Witzgall, a 20-year-old second-year student, said although he endorsed eliminating Khamenei, he remained troubled by the Trump administration’s apparent absence of a solid replacement strategy, a gap he feared might create chaos or potentially civil conflict.
“He’s telling the people of Iran to rise up and take over the government, and that’s easier said than done,” Witzgall observed. “Why are we taking these actions when there’s no specific plan right now or none that we know of?”
Witzgall noted the Iranian strikes, combined with January’s capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, demonstrated what he viewed as excessive focus on international affairs. He said his Trump vote aimed to strengthen the economy and accomplish domestic goals and wanted more presidential attention directed there.
Trump’s commitments to control inflation, increase economic growth and strengthen immigration policies helped draw young men to his candidacy. Pew Research Center exit poll analysis shows he captured 46% of males aged 18-29 in 2024, versus 51% for Democratic candidate and former Vice President Kamala Harris. This represents a significant change from 2020, when Trump lost young men to President Joe Biden by 14 percentage points, 53% to 39%.
Recent surveys show those improvements have disappeared. In February, approximately 33% of men aged 18-29 approved Trump’s White House performance, declining from 43% during the same 2025 period, based on Reuters/Ipsos polling from those timeframes.
The Iranian crisis resolution could determine whether Trump’s approval numbers increase or decrease, with possible implications for Republicans in November’s midterm elections. A CNN survey of 1,004 Americans discovered voters aged 18-34 showed the strongest opposition to the strikes, with 71% expressing disapproval.
Leary said determining whether the Iranian attacks represented the proper decision remained premature.
“It could absolutely turn into the right move, or we could stay in Iran for 30-plus years, spend a ton of money – money that could have been spent at home.”
