More on young men... who are done feeling ashamed

Young men under 30 preferred President-elect Donald Trump by a 14-point margin. Why?

Photo by Kylo on Unsplash

In the weeks leading up to Election Day (and certainly in its aftermath) I’ve been focused on the gender gap with eyes directly on young men. A group that has been somewhat cast aside in conventional political conversations for the past few years is having a renaissance moment. According to the analysis we have so far from CIRCLE, which uses AP VoteCast data, young men under 30 voted for President-elect Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by a 14-point margin.

Many of these young men are tired of not getting the time-of-day they feel they deserve and are nostalgic for an era they feel no longer exists. As we continue to glean from last week’s results, what can we make of the bro vote discourse?

At the very least, the days of young men being sidelined are over. More on that below — along with my latest piece for none other than Glamour Magazine on why young men said they voted for Trump and a smart look from The New York Times’ Kellen Browning and Benjamin Oreskes on what young men’s shift to the right means for Democrats.

Young men are done feeling ashamed

Young men in America have been made to feel ashamed of their masculinity — and it’s starting to shape their politics. Over the past decade, the left has increasingly focused on uplifting marginalized groups - especially women. But the unintentional consequence of this focus has left young men feeling like no one is speaking to them and that there is no home for them in the Democratic Party. Last week’s election results reflected that.

So, what’s behind the shift? In listening sessions, one-on-one conversations, and focus groups with young Americans over the past four years, I’ve noticed an obvious split in how young men and women are thinking about politics. When asked about their ambitions for the future, many young men say they’re focused on practical goals – finding a job, buying a home, starting a family. As for politics, they’re looking for leaders to take tangible action and offer reinforcing rhetoric around the issues impacting their day-to-day lives, mainly economic opportunity. They’re fed up by an overemphasis on political correctness and frustrated that no one is speaking directly to them about their futures; they say the prospect of the American Dream feels like a remnant of the past.

Often, these same young men say they feel ostracized or alienated by Democrats – and judged for sharing opposing viewpoints or critiques of the party. Whether these feelings are merited or not, this is the reality for young men – and it led to a gender-wide rebuke of Democrats this cycle.

In the scramble to win over young women—especially around issues of reproductive rights and equality—political leaders on the left seem to have lost touch with young men who feel increasingly counted out. Unlike their female counterparts, who are often rallied by cause-driven movements, many young men feel adrift in a political conversation that doesn't speak to their ambitions, values, or even their concept of masculinity. As “traditional” markers of success—like stable jobs, homeownership, and family—become harder to attain, they’re drawn to figures like Trump who embrace a brand of masculinity that feels both nostalgic and aspirational. While young women saw this election as a fight for their rights and lives, many young men are simply looking for a future they feel part of. Interestingly, young men aren’t particularly resentful of policies meant to achieve parity between the genders. Many of them believe in gender equality or reproductive healthcare access. But they can’t help feeling judged for their sex. “The party whose values they align with sees them as inherently problematic for existing,” one young man from New York lamented. It’s not their fault they were born a man and have benefited from the patriarchy, they tell me.

While the Trump-era lit a fire under young women, it had the opposite effect on young men, who weren’t encouraged to come together to talk about politics or issues that matter to them. Part of Trump’s recent success with young men traces back to when today’s youngest eligible voters were in elementary or middle school, confined to their bedrooms amid the Covid-19 pandemic to scroll endlessly on TikTok and watch YouTube, growing increasingly frustrated by political correctness and “woke” culture. Forced isolation combined with social media echo chambers created fertile ground for male creators to capitalize on the psyche of young men who felt left behind. Trump and his surrogates – an avengers-like cast ranging from billionaire Elon Musk to influencer wrestler Logan Paul, and entrepreneurs like Vivek Ramaswamy and David Sacks – totally tapped into that, giving young men an aspirational vision of what success looks like. Not only do they provide a version of masculinity to replicate, they’re leaning into and welcoming a conversation about burgeoning industries that are popular with young men – from cars to cryptocurrency.

Women are going to and graduating from college at higher rates than men, single women are more likely to own homes than their male counterparts, and in some U.S. cities, young women under 30 are out earning young men. As they struggle to afford college, put groceries on the table, fill up their gas tanks, and fret over the dismal possibility of one day buying a home – young men feel this playing out in their communities and are looking for someone to validate their concerns. Enter, Trump.

Trump and his team reached out directly to young men, bypassing mainstream media to give them the political “home” they crave. Beyond rehearsed sound bites and canned answers, they appreciated the opportunity to see Trump being Trump as he sat on the couch with relatable male figures like Andrew Schulz or across the table from Joe Rogan.

And while these men may be avowedly pro-choice, that didn’t deter them from voting for Trump. One young man from Arizona told me he voted both for the state’s constitutional amendment to protect abortion access and for Trump. Another young man in New York who is pro-choice and also voted for Trump told me he believes the president-elect would never actually move to ban abortion because it’s so unpopular with the American people – and young people in particular. That same young man said he sees a “masculinity crisis.” While he acknowledges the numerous examples of toxic masculinity, punishing men for being strong can backfire. He believes there needs to be a space for healthy masculinity to thrive.

Young men’s rightward swing last week doesn’t mean all young men are Republicans or fully align with the MAGA movement; they simply value Trump and his allies’ warm embrace of masculinity and vision of a future that puts them at the center of political conversations. While their political allegiances are not yet fully cemented, they’re looking for spaces where their identity is both included and appreciated. As we look forward and think about how to engage young Americans across the political spectrum, it’s imperative to take their concerns at face value and create spaces for them to come together to discuss the issues they say matter to them most. Otherwise, we risk further alienating, even more so radicalizing, a crucial portion of this powerful generation.

Along those lines… hear directly from young men themselves

To better understand what’s driving young men to the right, I profiled a handful of them for Glamour Magazine. You can read the full piece here.

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Where do Democrats go from here?

Meanwhile, what does Republicans’ success with young men mean for Democrats?

Looking at the online ecosystem in particular, the majority of young people don't scroll for political content. So the right politically coded their cultural messages over many years. As I told The New York Times’ Kellen Browning and Ben Oreskes, Democrats could try to do the same by leaning into positive messaging about young people's futures and economic opportunity.

Read their piece on the complicated quest for a liberal Joe Rogan and what comes next for left-leaning content creation here.