Former Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld says Obama’s support among youth ‘eroded substantially’ since last election

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part I of the Leadership Institute’s EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Part II will feature Secretary Rumsfeld’s views on the rise in popularity of libertarianism and non-interventionism among young people.

Support for President Obama among youth voters has “eroded substantially” since the 2008 elections cycle, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld suggested, in an exclusive interview with Campus Reform on Wednesday.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told Campus Reform in an exclusive interview that he thinks support for President Obama among youth voters has “eroded substantially.”

“There is no question that the president had a very substantial support in the younger generation when he ran four years ago,” Rumsfeld acknowledged, speaking from the Leadership Institute’s studios in Arlington, Va.

“My impression is that it has eroded substantially,” he added.

Rumsfeld, who served as Secretary of Defense on the President George W. Bush and Gerald Ford cabinets, went on to argue the poor economy was at least partially responsible for the shift in the youth-voter demographic.

This “kind of concern… is understandable given the fact that so many people coming out of school today are having difficulty finding jobs,” added Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld, who completed his undergraduate education at Princeton University, concluded by urging conservative youth to mobilize in time for the election.

“Be engaged,” said Rumsfeld. “Recognize that we all have a responsibility to guide and help direct the course of this country.”

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