‘Toxic masculinity’ and the real reason Trump won Gen Z bros

They play video games. They drink beer. And now, some of them wear MAGA hats.
The 2024 presidential election saw the rise of a new kind of voter − one that both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, in the final weeks of their campaigns, made desperate bids to win over. That demographic ended up swinging for Trump, in a move that surprised some pollsters and political analysts.
Those voters are the men − or, depending on who you ask, the “bros” − of Gen Z.
On election day, they turned out for Trump, with 49% of Gen Z men voting for him and 47% voting for Harris, according to NBC News exit polling. Trump also gained some ground with Gen Z women, though that same exit polling shows 61% of these voters still went for Harris.
Trump’s win with Gen Z men followed weeks of what Forbes dubbed his “bro” podcast tour, which saw the now president-elect make several appearances with popular faces from a certain side of TikTok. Several big-name Democrats have since acknowledged the impact of the so-called “bro” vote. “I think this election was a serious flex for bros,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., told Politico.
Men’s psychology experts say it shouldn’t be shocking many Gen Z men voted for Trump, nor that online “bro” culture has embraced him. Young people tend to favor political personalities perceived as edgy, rebellious and countercultural. In past generations, those personalities were liberals; now, they say, those personalities are MAGA conservatives.
Plus, Democrats as a whole haven’t done as good a job as Trump at speaking to this voting bloc in an authentic, empowering way, with some of their talking points leaving young men feeling, at best, ignored and, at worst, demonized.
“A lot of political beliefs have more to do with identity than good argument than we accept,” says Erik Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist. “Political beliefs are swayed heavily by identity. The left is rejecting men and masculinity, so men are becoming more right-wing.”
In the final weeks of the election, both Harris and Trump made their respective pitches to Gen Z. Harris went on “Call Her Daddy”, where she talked about abortion, as well as “All the Smoke,” where she talked about the economy and marijuana legalization.
Trump, meanwhile, took a more men-centered approach, going on the Nelk Boys’ “Full Send Podcast,” the comedy podcast “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von” and the long-form show “The Joe Rogan Experience.” He also talked pro-wrestling on “Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway” and live-streamed with videogame influencer Adin Ross.
John Shahidi − the co-founder of the Shots Podcast Network, home to the Nelk Boys and Theo Von, among others − says Trump’s podcast appearances were part of an effective strategy by his campaign to reach young men, as well as any other voters whose media diet doesn’t consist of legacy news.
When it comes to these podcasts, Shahidi says, young men tune in for one of two reasons: to learn or to laugh.
Trump calibrated his conversations on these podcasts accordingly. With the Nelk Boys, who got their start as YouTube pranksters, he cracked more jokes. With Von, he got more personal, opening up about his family. With Rogan, he talked more about policy.
All of these appearances, Shahidi says, showed Gen Z that Trump was willing to meet them where they are and speak to them authentically.
“People really saw that,” he says. “Like, ‘Wow, actually, you’re the man. I’m voting for you.'”
Alex Bruesewitz, a 27-year-old Trump campaign advisor, says what bro influencers have that mainstream celebrities don’t is a deep, personal connection to their audience. These influencers, he says, speak to young men in a way no one else can, which is why Trump sought them out.
“The Nelk Boys in particular speak to young men because they are frat bros,” Bruesewitz says. “These guys tap into the frat bros in a way that I haven’t seen before.”
Trump’s appearances with these influencers also sent a clear message, according to Bruesewitz: that “it’s OK to be a guy.”
It’s a message he says Democrats did not emphasize enough, to their own downfall.
In 2020, voters under 30 largely went for Biden (59%) over Trump, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
Now, “young men, for the most part have been relatively ignored by the Democratic party,” Bruesewitz says. “President Trump was probably the only ball game in town for most of them.”
Trump beat Harris in a landslide.Will his shy voters feel emboldened?
Would Trump have won this election without this voting bloc?
“It would’ve been very close,” Shahidi says. “I think the podcast strategy made it a landslide.”
Outside of Trump’s podcast interviews, psychologists say there are several factors that explain why Gen Z internet bro culture has gone largely MAGA.
For starters, they say, young men as a whole aren’t doing too well right now. They aren’t graduating from college at the same rates as women. Many have poor mental health, due to loneliness and social isolation. Many struggle to express their feelings, which makes forming intimate relationships challenging. Many are struggling economically. Many feel disenfranchised.
“The last half century has seen a dramatic improvement in the status of women in America, whereas men have been static,” says Ronald Levant, professor emeritus of psychology at The University of Akron and author of the book “The Problem with Men: Insights into Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood from a World-Renowned Psychologist.”
Trump’s win has women swearing off sex:It’s called the 4B movement.
When any group feels disempowered, they’re more likely to support subversive political movements. After four years of a Democrat in the White House, young men who feel disenfranchised were more open to hearing Trump out and voting for him.
The lack of positive outreach toward young men by liberals has also left some members of this demographic open to the influence of more extreme right-wing internet personalities, like Andrew Tate.
“Men being isolated means that they’re going to look for someone who’s speaking about them positively and their issues,” Anderson says. “Suddenly you’ve got someone who’s promising to rescue you from your isolation. Men are turning towards that.”
For some young men, Trump spoke to them even if they couldn’t articulate why. In a TikTok with 2.5 million views, a male college student tells newscaster Don Lemon he plans to vote for Trump. When Lemon asks him to elaborate on why, the student gives a stuttered reply.
Bruesewitz believes Gen Z men’s pivot to Trump has to do not only with Trump’s positive messaging toward this demographic, but also with Democrats’ negative messaging. The left’s use of the term “toxic masculinity” in particular, he says, has distanced many young men from the Democratic party.
“One side says that being a man is terrible and toxic,” he says. “The other side doesn’t say that. So it’s pretty evident why young men find more of a home in our party than theirs.”