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    • Young men turn right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals
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    Young men turn right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals

    Harry Posted on

    Matt Brown
    | Associated Press

    washington — Over the years, Pat Verhaeghe has not viewed Donald Trump’s leader favorably.

    Later, Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and at sporting events.

    The former president even paired up with Bryson DeChambeau to play a round of under-50 golf while chatting with his partner as part of the professional golfer’s YouTube channel series.

    “I’m sorry to say this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and wouldn’t make a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.”

    Verhaeghe is not alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. While a large portion of the electorate in 2024 has shifted to varying degrees to the right, one group that swung sharply toward Trump was young men.

    More than half of men under 30 support Trump, according to an AP VoteCast poll of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden received a similar share of that group four years ago. White men under 30 sided with Trump this year, with nearly 6 in 10 voting for Trump; Young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about a third were behind Trump.

    Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020; As for young Black men, their views on the party have not changed much. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of Democrats in 2020, down from about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, nearly two-thirds of young black men had a positive view of Democrats this year; This was much the same as his view of the party four years ago.

    “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, want to feel valued,” said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. someone who fights for them, who sees not only their struggles but also their potential.”

    Struve noted that the attempted assassination of Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania in July was one of the moments that galvanized Trump’s image among many young men. Struve said Trump has also been able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on non-traditional platforms such as podcasts and digital media outlets.

    “I think it really makes a big difference to hear directly from Trump,” Struve said of the former president’s presence on digital media platforms and media platforms that appeal to Latino communities, such as town halls and business roundtables that Trump has attended in Las Vegas and Miami. he said.

    Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan’s chart-topping podcast, he also took part in DeChambeau’s “Break 50” challenge for the golfer’s more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers.

    Trump already had an advantage among young white men four years ago, but this year he widened the gap even further. In 2020, nearly half of white men under 30 supported Trump, while just under half supported Biden. Trump’s gains were larger among young Latino and Black men. Support among both groups has increased by nearly 20 percent, according to AP VoteCast, and their feelings toward Trump have also warmed.

    It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men identifying as Republicans also increased in 2024; This mostly parallels support for Trump in all three groups.

    “What’s most concerning to me is that it’s clear in the election that America has moved massively to the right,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supports Harris’ presidential bid.

    With his bombastic attitude and policy agenda focused on a more macho sense of culture, Trump framed much of his campaign as a sales pitch to men who felt slighted by the country’s economy, culture, and political system. Young women also gravitated towards the former president to some extent, though not as much as their male counterparts.

    It’s unclear how many men did not vote this year. But there is no doubt that the last four years have brought changes in youth culture and the political campaigns launched to reach young voters.

    Democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign has put forward policy agendas specific to Black and Hispanic men, and the campaign has enlisted a number of leaders from Black and Hispanic communities to defend the vice president. His campaign launched with the enthusiasm of many young voters; this enthusiasm was exemplified in memes and the campaign’s adoption of pop culture trends, such as pop star Charli XCX’s “brat” aesthetic. Democrats hoped to channel that energy into efforts to mobilize young voters.

    “I think most young voters haven’t heard the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Tomorrow’s Voters, a liberal group interested in young voters. Mayer said Harris’ campaign’s pitch to the country was “hugely complex” and focused on economic messages that he said could not be easily conveyed to younger voters who are not already exposed to political media.

    “I think the policies themselves are too narrow and targeted, when what we really need is a simple, bold economic vision,” Mayer said.

    Trump has also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to attract attention and make his remarks go viral contributed more to the campaign than paid advertising or traditional media appearances.

    Trump’s campaign has also heavily cultivated online networks of conservative platforms and personalities who support him, while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to listening to him.

    Stating that conservative activist groups such as Turning Point USA have a huge influence online, He said, “The right has been extremely successful in infiltrating the political culture of young people online and on campus in the last few years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism.” discourse “And the Democrats are running their campaigns the very old-fashioned way. The battlefield these days is cultural and increasingly over the internet.”

    Struve warned that Republicans could lose broad support if they don’t work to improve the lives of Americans. Young men, in particular, may move away from the party in the post-Trump era if the party loses the originality and bravado of the president-elect.

    Struve said Bienvenido will double down on a group to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern changes seen this year in the coming years.

    “We don’t want this to be a one-and-done thing,” he said.

    Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti and AP polls editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report.

    Harry
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