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If you’re still looking for someone to blame for Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection, don’t just look at the usual suspects — the MAGA die-hards, the QAnon crowd or your uncle screaming at Fox News. Consider the bros at your local gym’s squat rack, the Discord server or the gaming lounge who suddenly swung right — or, better yet, consider blaming the Democrats who decided those guys didn’t matter. Yeah, nice work, geniuses.
Recent focus groups conducted by the centrist Democratic group Third Way, with the polling firm HIT Strategies, show that many young men feel criticized, overlooked and talked down to by a party they see as hostile to their values and concerns. This echoes similar feedback from last fall, when young male voters told pollsters that the Democratic Party “has somehow become the anti-male party.”
If you’re wondering why this siege mentality hasn’t softened, it may be because the condescension and antagonism persist — especially among progressive elites whose statements are often conflated with the Democratic Party.
July alone offered a plethora of examples. And lest you think this is from the fever swamps of the internet, consider a few selections from the New York Times.
First, we got “The Boy Crisis Is Overblown,” which shrugs off boys’ educational struggles, instead suggesting that boys expect others (women) to pick up the slack, both at home and in school. Then came “The Trouble With Wanting Men,” a literary masterclass on how dating men amounts to unpaid emotional labor. And to round it out, “Why Women Are Weary of ‘Mankeeping,’” which blames men for … being human? Having different priorities than their girlfriends and wives?
See a pattern?
None of these pieces are entirely wrong. Boys and men are only human, and there are good guys and bad guys. But if you’re a dude just trying to stay afloat in a rapidly changing world, you might get the impression that the cultural left, which (let’s be honest) constitutes the Democratic Party’s base of energy and pressure, isn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat.
And if you’re a guy, what do you do with all of that criticism? You check out. You find a podcast. You listen to some YouTuber explain how protein cured his depression and why you should never trust a woman who owns more than one NPR tote bag.
You exercise your greatest act of middle-finger rebellion: You vote for Trump!
Now, you might say, “Is it really fair to blame the entire Democratic Party for what a few writers say?” No! But politics isn’t about fairness. It’s about vibes, and the vibe right now is that progressive culture has morphed into the HR department from hell. Heck, even Sydney Sweeney in an American Eagle ad was too much for the online pitchfork crowd. What’s next? Canceling golden retrievers?
The problem for the Democratic Party is that once you’re branded a “woke scold,” it’s hard to pivot, no matter what you say.
Look at President Biden. He was called “Genocide Joe” for supporting Israel, yet still got blamed for pro-Palestinian campus protests — proof that stereotypes are sticky, and perception, not policy, drives voter sentiment.
But here’s the irony: Democrats have an opportunity to turn things around — and if their friends weren’t so busy writing gender theory op-eds, they might notice there’s an opening to do just that.
Thanks to issues ranging from tariffs to immigration roundups to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, some of these podcast bros have started mocking Trump. Meanwhile, “South Park” skewered him for threatening lawsuits to intimidate or silence his critics, which is an impressive about-face considering he used to score points by criticizing cancel culture.
“While some of these young men are still drawn to Trump and the Republican Party,” Third Way’s focus groups found, “most are persuadable swing voters who dislike significant aspects of Trump’s actions so far in his second term.”
But it’s gonna take more than President Obama podcasting about “what’s right with young men.” It’s gonna take modern leaders — men and women — who have the guts to stand up to their own tribe and say, “Hey, maybe we shouldn’t treat half the population like defective appliances.”
Want their votes? Talk to them like they’re human. Stop acting like masculinity is a war crime. Nominate a presidential candidate who lifts and can go on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Offer some real policies that don’t sound like they were cooked up in a gender studies seminar at Bryn Mawr.
Until then? Don’t be shocked if a whole generation of guys hears one more lecture about toxic masculinity … and decides to vote for the most toxic guy in the room.
This is how Trump wins.
Matt K. Lewis is the author of “Filthy Rich Politicians” and “Too Dumb to Fail.”
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Ideas expressed in the piece
The Democratic Party has developed a reputation as the “anti-male party” among young men, who feel criticized, overlooked, and talked down to by progressive elites whose statements are often conflated with the party itself[5]. This perception drives men to vote for Trump as their greatest act of middle-finger rebellion against what they see as hostile cultural messaging.
Progressive culture has morphed into an “HR department from hell,” with constant condescension and antagonism toward men and masculinity, creating a siege mentality that persists despite Democratic efforts to reach out. The cultural left fails to roll out the welcome mat for men trying to navigate a rapidly changing world, instead offering a steady stream of criticism about toxic masculinity and male behavior.
Democrats have branded themselves as “woke scolds,” making it difficult to pivot regardless of actual policy positions, as perception rather than policy drives voter sentiment. The party’s association with progressive elites who write “gender theory op-eds” reinforces stereotypes that are sticky and hard to overcome, even when individual Democratic leaders take different positions.
There exists a genuine opportunity for Democrats to win back these “persuadable swing voters” who dislike significant aspects of Trump’s actions, but only if the party demonstrates the courage to stand up to their own progressive base and treat men like human beings rather than “defective appliances”[5]. This requires nominating candidates who can authentically connect with male voters and offering real policies that don’t sound like academic gender studies seminars.
Different views on the topic
Democrats are actively investing substantial resources to understand and connect with male voters, including a $20 million “Speaking with American Men” study specifically examining young male voters and how the party can effectively communicate with this demographic[2]. This effort demonstrates genuine recognition of the problem and a commitment to addressing communication gaps rather than dismissing male concerns.
The focus should be on economic rather than cultural messaging, as working-class families live paycheck to paycheck and need rapid, tangible remedies rather than long-term policy solutions[4]. Democrats can build broader cross-class coalitions by emphasizing policies that “grow the economy so that everyone has the opportunity to earn a good life where they live,” which polling shows beats progressive messaging by a two-to-one margin across all demographic groups.
Trump’s appeal among his base is showing signs of weakness, with even MAGA influencers like Tucker Carlson and new cohort podcasters beginning to openly criticize him over issues like the Jeffrey Epstein files[3]. These manosphere podcasters and their young male listeners are not ideological partisans but rather anti-establishment voices whose support has always been “more middle finger than mission,” suggesting their loyalty can shift to new targets.
The Republican gains among young men may reflect broader dissatisfaction with establishment politics rather than specifically anti-Democratic sentiment, as Trump voters primarily care about Trump himself rather than any coherent ideological framework[1]. This suggests that Democratic appeals based on policy substance and authentic leadership could be effective once Trump’s personal influence wanes.
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