Increased 29 percentage points among young men • “When he talks, you listen” • Harris miss
When Dana White, the head of the UFC martial arts organization, took the floor after Donald Trump’s victory speech on Tuesday night, he thanked a group of podcasters and YouTubers that few in the American mainstream, just a few years ago, knew about.
“I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin’ With The Boys and last but not least, the mighty and influential Joe Rogan,” Dana White shouted to supporters at Trump’s vigil.
And it wasn’t for nothing. The above-mentioned have an enormous reach in their various channels, often considerably larger than traditional media. They reach particularly well young voters who rarely read newspapers or follow the political coverage on CNN or Fox News. What they have in common is that they all had a visit from Donald Trump during the election campaign. His participation in Joe Rogan’s podcast alone has at the time of writing over 48 million views on Youtube.
– Joe Rogan has the world’s biggest podcast and when he talks, you listen, says 22-year-old Aleko Perekupka, to TV4 Nyheterna.
Trump was tipped off by the son
Donald Trump’s interview with Joe Rogan is three hours long – the standard time for an interview with Rogan. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, only agreed to an hour – and demanded that Rogan come to her. Something he in turn did not agree to.
Harris not going to the studio in Austin for a three-hour sit-down with Joe Rogan may have cost her the election victory, believes Aleko Perekupka, a student at Arizona State University.
– Podcasts are huge. And I really think that was the deciding factor.
According to several campaign sources to the American media, Trump’s decision to participate in podcasts and YouTube shows must have taken place on the advice of his eighteen-year-old son Barron. But it is not enough to be on site in the podcast studio, believes student Mark Escoto. What you are trying to sell must also be appealing.
– Above all, his focus on the economy, I think was important, he says.
Moved forward by almost 30 percentage points
According to Cody Miller, vice president of the National Federation of College Republicans, Trump’s ability to offer an attractive alternative may have been a deciding factor. Instead of saying, like the Democrats, that the young men have a lot of privileges they don’t feel they have in their everyday lives, Trump offers a warm embrace and a solution.
– People feel that the system actively works against them when the liberal elites are in power, he tells the Wall Street Journal.
“Not surprised”
Donald Trump went strong in most electoral groups. But one of the strongest exclamation points was among young men, where he moved ahead by almost 30 percentage points, compared to the election four years ago. Among young women, according to AP’s polling station survey, he advanced 14 percentage points.
Among the others, those who did not vote for Donald Trump, there was a lack of joy, believes 29-year-old Layla Gabir, who reluctantly voted for Kamala Harris. This despite the fact that, like many young people, she was disappointed with Harris and Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza.
– But I’m not at all surprised that it went the way it did. Many of my friends were either hesitant like me, or completely ignored voting. At the same time, there are many who like Trump from the start and they happily went and voted, while the rest of us felt no support from either candidate.