WASHINGTON (AP) – For years, Pat Verhaig didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader.
Since then, Virhe has increasingly watched Trump’s campaign speeches and sporting events online.
As part of the Pro Golfers’ YouTube Channel series, the former president paired up with Bryson DeChambeau to film a round of golf for those under 50 while chatting with their partner.
“I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and would never be a good president,” said the 18-year-old, who was voting for the first time. “I think he’s a great guy now.”
Among friends in suburban Detroit and young people across the country, Verhaeghe is not alone. In 2024, many voters shifted to varying degrees to the right, but young people were one group that turned sharply toward Trump.
More than half of men under 30 support Trump, according to an AP VoteCast survey of more than 120,000 voters, a demographic that Democrat Joe Biden held four years ago. They had similar approval ratings. White men under 30 were solidly behind Trump this year, with about 6 in 10 voting for him, but young Latino men were split between the two candidates. A majority of black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about a third supported Trump.
While young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than they were in 2020, young Black men’s views of the Democratic Party did not move much. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democratic Party in 2020, but this year that number has dropped to about 4 in 10. Meanwhile, about two-thirds of young black men have a favorable view of the Democratic Party this year, about the same as their view of the Democratic Party four years ago.
“Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, want to feel like they matter,” said Bienvenido, a conservative group focused on reaching young Hispanic voters who voted Republican this year. said Raphael Struve, Deputy Director of Communications. “They want someone who will fight for them, someone who understands not just their struggles but their potential.”
Mr. Struve cited the assassination attempt on President Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania in July as one of the reasons why President Trump’s image grew among many young people. Trump has also been able to reach young people more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms such as podcasts and digital media, Struve said.
Struve said the former president’s appearances on digital media platforms and in media outlets geared toward the Latino community, including the town halls and business roundtables that Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami, were “an opportunity to hear directly from President Trump. I think it really made a big difference.”
Not only did President Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan’s chart-topping podcast, he also took on DeChambeau’s “Break 50” challenge for his more than 1.6 million golfer YouTube subscribers.
Trump already had an advantage among young white men four years ago, and this year he widened that gap even further. In 2020, about half of white men under 30 supported Trump, while just under half supported Biden. Trump’s gains among young Latino men and black men were even larger. According to AP VoteCast, Trump’s approval rating increased by about 20 percentage points among both groups, and support for him also increased.
Trump wasn’t alone. The percentage of young people who identified themselves as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, with all three groups broadly aligned with Trump support.
“What’s most worrying to me is that this election shows that America has moved significantly to the right,” said the founder of Dream for America, a liberal group that seeks to find young voters. said William He, who supported Harris’ presidential bid.
With a bombastic attitude and a policy agenda focused on a more macho cultural understanding, Trump has spent much of his campaign pitching himself to men who feel disrespected by the country’s economic, cultural and political systems. assembled as. Young women also tilted slightly toward the former president, although not as much as men.
It’s unclear how many men simply didn’t vote this year. But there is no doubt that the past four years have brought about a shift in youth culture and the way political campaigns approach reaching young voters.
Democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign has developed a policy agenda tailored to black and Latino men, calling on various leaders in the black and Hispanic communities to advocate for the vice president. Her campaign began with enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized by the campaign’s embrace of pop culture trends such as memes and pop star Charli XCX’s “brat” aesthetic. Democrats wanted to channel that energy into youth voter mobilization efforts.
“I think most young voters weren’t hearing the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages young voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s national pitch was “quite complex” and focused on an economic message that would be difficult to reach younger voters who are not yet coming to political media.
“And I think the policy itself has also been very limited and targeted, when what we really need is a simple, bold economic vision,” Mayer said.
Trump also tapped into pop culture, appearing at UFC games and football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed the former president’s ability to attract attention and spread his word helped his campaign more than paid advertising or traditional media appearances.
The Trump campaign will also focus on cultivating a network of online conservative platforms and celebrities who support Trump, including podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages that are open to hearing from Trump. was also involved in the wider world of
“In recent years, the right-wing has been very successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus, radicalizing young people into extremism,” He said, adding that the online community has a huge impact on society. He cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an influence. discourse. “And Democrats have been campaigning in a very old-fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.”
Struve warned that the Republican Party could lose widespread support if it fails to help improve the lives of Americans. If the party loses the president-elect’s credibility and bravado, young men in particular could leave the party in the post-Trump era.
Struve said one of the groups, Bienvenido, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the changes in voting patterns seen this year.
“We don’t want this to be a one-and-done thing,” he said.
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