Trump’s appeal to the demographic might not have to do with his policies.Washington PostBy Catherine RampellFebruary 21, 2025Many Americans are disturbed by President Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution and nuking of the federal government. But one group seems to love what Trump is doing: young men.New survey data show that support for Trump among this demographic has surged since the election.In November, men ages 18 to 29 voted for Trump by a 14-point margin (56 percent to 42 percent). It was the first time a GOP presidential candidate had claimed an outright majority of the group since 1988 (when George H.W. Bush swept most age and gender combinations in a landslide victory, unlike Trump’s slim popular-vote win).
That begs the question... Why? To me Trump doesn't seem like much of a macho man, to me he seems like a dumpy grumpy old man.
“A lot of young men had the sense that the Democrats didn’t see them as having problems,” Reeves said. “They saw them as being the problem.”Yet in many ways, men are faring worse than their female peers. Young men have lower academic achievement. They’re more likely to still live with their parents. They suffer more deaths caused by opioid overdoses and suicide. Younger White men from low-income households in particular are worse off than their fathers by most economic and social measures.Men today have also become more isolated. Americans across the board spend more time alone than was the case 20 years ago — but this is especially true for young men.
Somehow, young men now see educations as being "un-macho". I think one of the problems is that they worry about having friendships with other men might be seen as being "un-macho". He has to be stoic, unmoving, unemotional, he can't be seen as wimpy, indecisive.
That’s arguably how Trump won over young men, too: less with his policies and more with his macho affect and his ability to help isolated young men feel welcome and liked. After all, Trump’s agenda has done little to address the economic and mental health challenges young men face. Indeed, Reeves says American men’s policy preferences haven’t changed much in recent years.What about Trump’s policy choices since he came into office?Some seem tailored to appeal to stereotypical right-wing bros, such as his war on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The administration has also advocated on behalf of self-proclaimed “misogynist” influencer Andrew Tate, who faces criminal charges in Romania related to human trafficking, sexual misconduct and money laundering.
I believe that they see every woman, every Black man, every gay or trans person as taking away their job. It couldn't be because their attitude, their lack of skills, it must have been because DEI!
Interestingly the Baptist News has a different take on those who voted for Trump,
More specifically, young Gen Z white men — mainly those without college degrees — voted overwhelmingly for Trump (67%), which is eerily similar to their just-older millennial peers (also 67%).Nic Sumners, a 21-year-old cosmetic car repairman from Virginia, says Trump talks about the American people in a way that resonates with him, without — in his opinion — faulting him for his gender and sexual orientation. “I’m a straight white man, and I feel like we take the blame for a lot of things,” Sumners says.
In other words... "They feel picked on and left out!"
Jennifer Mercieca reminds us Trump is a rhetorical genius and a marketing genius. He is a creature of television, and his rhetoric and actions sound and look scripted. His use of social media attracted young white males already fans of Joe Rogan, for example.Trump’s masculine performances are more than what we hear and see on the surface. His coarse, vulgar, indecorous and unapologetic rhetoric feeds a collective fantasy that he is a big, tough man who will get things done by shaking up politics as usual. Robert Ivie says, “His act is political theater that stymies rather than presages positive change.”He then observes, “Trump’s performance of carnivalesque rhetoric provides a kind of pleasure in spectacle that merges entertainment with politics, skepticism with fantasy, and violence with authoritarianism.” Like a modern P. T. Barnum, Trump sold his supporters sheer entertainment.Trump speaks and acts the way young white men wish they could speak and act. They feel empowered by Trump’s act of sheer maleness. One Trump voter said, “I hate the way he talks and the way he treats the presidency, the way he treats women and minorities and everybody — but nevertheless I voted for him because of some of the promises I saw in his administration.”
Just look at the theme song that Trump had played at the political rallies...
Young man, there's no need to feel down, I saidYoung man, pick yourself off the ground, I saidYoung man, 'cause you're in a new townThere's no need to be unhappyYoung man, there's a place you can go, I saidYoung man, when you're short on your dough you canStay there and I'm sure you will findMany ways to have a good time
Yeah, it is a gay song but it is also an "upbeat disco classic with thumping beats that can energize crowds and create a lively atmosphere", has become a universal party song, and "which playfully embody archetypes of American masculinity."
Scientific American had a... well... a scientific approach to why young males went for macho Trump.
But as with every generation, there are outliers. And these outliers can surprise us and teach us what makes the subgroups of a generation tick.As a social psychologist who studies the interplay between societal structures and individual psychology, I have seen that relationship come into focus during this presidential election. I’ve followed exit polls closely, watching for psychological “surprises” in policy trends—places where behavioral expectations for individuals and groups (based on their psychology, history and sociodemographic orientations) diverge from what actually unfolds. What I’ve seen in the voting trends of Gen Z is something politicos need to pay attention to as the next generation reaches voting age: the young white male vote is skewing conservative, in part because of how society defines and sets expectations around masculinity.
We've taken away their "balls" sociality has emasculated them!
Gen Z, as a bloc, should have voted blue. Democrats, after all, claim to be the party of progress, especially when compared with the present iteration of the Republican Party, and Twenge argues that Gen Z individuals are “obsessed with safety, focused on tolerance, and have no patience for inequality.” Kamala Harris centered herself on a key progressive issue—salvaging women’s right to abortion—whereas Donald Trump’ campaign was full of sexist remarks and a promise to roll back protections for transgender students in schools. And while Democratic VP candidate Tim Walz was hailed as a progressive champion, Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance espoused regressive and demeaning views about women’s place in American society. All in all, if it’s true that Gen Zers are defined by their progressive views on sociopolitical issues, they should have voted overwhelmingly for the Democratic ticket. The Harris-Walz campaign was certainly counting on it.
When I read this I see a couple of things... first: abortion, the father has no rights! Second, what could be more emasculating then us, trans people! While with Trump, they see a womanizer, swearing, macho man who gives them permission to scratch their balls in public and curse out trans people.
Young man, there's no need to feel down, I saidYoung man, pick yourself off the ground, I saidYoung man, 'cause you're in a new townThere's no need to be unhappyYoung man, there's a place you can go, I saidYoung man, when you're short on your dough you canStay there and I'm sure you will findMany ways to have a good time
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