The guys liberals have marginalized are emerging as a powerful political force supporting former President Donald Trump.
An Op-Ed by Nate Cohn in The New York Times noted that in three national polls, Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris 58 percent to 37 percent among men under 30.
That dominance has led John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, to say Trumpâs effort to attract young men âcould peel enough away from the Democratic Party to transform the countryâs electoral math for years to come,â according to Della Volpeâs Op-Ed for The New York Times.
Although Democrats have traditionally relied upon young voters, Della Volpe said that since 2020, âthe share of young men identifying as registered Democrats has dropped by seven percentage points, while those identifying as Republicans have increased by seven points â a net shift of 14 points in just four years.â
Della Volpe said the men with whom Trump connects have a negative outlook on the future and themselves, writing âthey fear for our countryâs future, and nearly half doubt their cohortâs ability to meet our nationâs coming challenges.â
Trump, he said, âhas tapped these anxieties by weaving a hypermasculine message of strength and defiance into his broader narrative that undermines confidence in democratic institutions. And itâs working.â
âHis playbook? A master class in bro whispering,â Della Volpe wrote, saying that Trumpâs tactics include âchampioning crypto, securing the endorsement of Dave Portnoy â the unapologetically offensive founder of Barstool Sports â and giving the U.F.C. president, Dana White, who embodies the alpha-male archetype that appeals to many young men, a prime spot at the Republican National Convention.â
Over the past four years, he said, young men have shifted significantly in their opinions.
Young men âare now less likely to support government-backed climate change solutions (down 15 points, according to our poll) and affirmative action for qualified candidates (down eight points).â
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âThey are more likely to question immigration policy (up 12 points), free trade (up 10 points) and whether government stimulus leads to economic growth (up seven points). They are also more likely to believe that religious values should play a more important role in government (up six points),â he wrote.
Daniel A. Cox, director of the Survey Center on American Life at the American Enterprise Institute, said those changes come from being a neglected part of American society, according to The New York Times.
âEconomically theyâre getting shafted, politically theyâre getting shafted, culturally no oneâs looking out for them,â he said. âTheyâre drawn to his message, his persona, the unapologetic machismo he tries to exude.â
One feminist said men have been shunted aside by liberals.
âIâm going to talk as a feminist: We do it, when we try to suggest women are brilliant and men are the problem,â Niobe Way, a professor of developmental psychology at NYU said.
âTrump is definitely saying, âI see you, I value you, I see your masculinity,ââ she said.
Ranger Irwin, 20, of Nevada told the Times that America no longer âlets boys be boys.â
âMen my age, from a very young age we were told, âYouâre not supposed to do this, youâre not supposed to do that, youâre just supposed to sit here and be quiet,ââ he said, which makes being a man âa little bit harder than it used to be.â
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