Men in Red: Why More Young Male Voters Are Supporting MAGA

The last place I expected to see a billowing red sea of ​​MAGA hats was a college campus. But these are strange times. And red tide is exactly what I witnessed this week at the University of Georgia.

If Donald Trump wins the presidency again, much of the coalition and the story will likely be about the support he did or failed to gain among Gen Z voters, especially young men.

There is a widely held view, firmly rooted in historical precedent, that college campuses tend to be breeding grounds for liberalism. However, over the last few months I have encountered increasing evidence that something new is happening within the young male cohort that goes against the narrative. So I decided to go to the key swing state and check it out for myself. (I am currently working on a documentary about Gen Z’s influence on the 2024 elections.)

On Tuesday, I attended a rally on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, sponsored by Turning Point USA and featuring its charismatic and controversial leader, Charlie Kirk, who, since the organization’s founding in 2012, has been the tip of the spear when it comes to mobilizing young voters for the conservative cause.

On this occasion, as part of the “You’re Being Brainwashed Tour”, he invited students to the square, where he simply sat at the table and answered questions.

Notably, Kirk not only willingly answered hostile questions, but encouraged them, often asking Trump supporters to get out of line so his adversaries could grill him. And he walked non-stop for two hours. The square was so crowded that it was difficult for me to move around. He signed and threw away the red MAGA hats until he quickly ran out of the 2,500 his team had brought to give away.

Kirk was mostly firm but cordial. He expressed his points of view with extraordinary intensity, conviction and clarity. And although he is a biased Trump supporter, he does not succumb to hyperbole and false assurances. He also succumbs to obvious truths that might otherwise irritate Trump surrogates. He admits, for example, that Trump is one NO will win the Gen Z vote.

“It will be difficult for Trump to win on these campuses and gain a majority,” Kirk admits. “But I can say with certainty that we will lose less.“

Rally organizers wearing hats supporting Donald Trump.

YASUYOSHI CHIBA/Getty Images.