They have fond memories of the past economy, when he was president, and he plays on their anxieties about the future economy.
A lot of young men love Donald Trump. Normally young people identify as Democrats. This year, according to exit polls, Trump won nearly half of young men — those aged 18 to 24 — and it helped propel him to victory. He appeals to young men across lines of race, ethnicity and even nationality.
What explains Trump’s appeal? Part of it is surely a cultural backlash. Some social trends, such as the focus on increasing opportunities and responsibilities for women, may have made men feel marginalized, and Trump embodies everything cultural scolds hate. Trump also ran a campaign that directly appealed to the interests of younger men, with his embrace of crypto and appearances on podcasts like Joe Rogan’s. He also survived two assassination attempts, winning praise and admiration from such young(ish) men as Mark Zuckerberg.
Still, the best explanation may be economic. Many men saw their fortunes improve during the first Trump presidency. After years of stagnation, the wages of men aged 21 to 35 rose throughout his tenure. They fell in the first few years of the pandemic, and started to increase again in the last year. But that may have been too little, too late.
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Allison Schrager is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal.
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