Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville suggested that both President Biden and former President Trump are partially causing young voters to disengage, stating it is his “greatest fear.” 

Carville, who has been critical of Biden and has said the president should not run for another term, shared during a radio interview that the lack of engagement in public policy from young people makes him worry that the next generation of young people will be lost. 

“The lack of enthusiasm among young people for public policy and public service and being involved in the public square is quite disheartening,” Carville said during an interview with radio talk show host John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM’s “Cats Roundtable.”

“I can understand it on one level,” he added. “I’ve talked to them, and they feel like a lot of things are not working for them. They feel like two 80-year-old guys don’t mean much to them. I am really afraid that we are going to lose the generation of young people … That’s my greatest fear for the United States. That young people are disengaging.”

Trump and Biden, who will likely face off again in less than six months, solidifying a general election rematch from 2020, are vying for support from younger voters. Both campaigns have pushed efforts to connect with a younger generation as Election Day inches closer. Biden has endured some criticism from parts of the younger electorate over his administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Carville, who anchored former President Clinton’s 1992 campaign, criticized the Biden campaign in late May, saying that the messaging was overly focused on the Israel-Hamas war and not enough on the economy.

“Talk about cost of living, and ‘we’re going to help deal with this,’” he said. “Don’t talk about f—ing Gaza and student loans!”

Trump joined TikTok, the video-sharing platform he wanted to ban while he was in the Oval Office, last weekend. The entrance had an impact, with the account gaining more followers than Biden’s campaign in less than 24 hours. Biden’s campaign has been on the app for months now, connecting with young influencers and looking to spread the president’s message heading into late 2024. The president himself does not have an account, and recently signed a bill that could ban TikTok.

A Harvard Youth Poll from April showed Biden lead Trump by just eight percentage points among 18- to 29-year-olds. During the same period in 2020, the president had a 23-point advantage over Trump with the same group. 

A recent survey by the University of Chicago’s GenForward found that the president has lost some ground with younger Black, Latino and Asian American voters. He led Trump by only two points while 34 percent said they would support a third-party candidate or back “someone else.”