Young men and right-leaning podcasters helped Trump win in 2024.
asserted
Trump → lean → 2024
Both have soured on him
'I feel like we got duped,' says one young Trump voter
asserted
voter → sour → him
Like many young men, Nicholas Aparicio's concerns about future employment, buying a home or even putting gas in his car are mounting.
asserted
concerns → buy → car
"The idea of starting a family feels very out of reach these days," the 20-year-old told CBC News.
asserted
old → start → News
Aparicio, a political science student in Binghampton, N.Y., says he voted for Donald Trump in 2024 because he believed the president would improve the economy and his own prospects.
asserted
president → say → economy
"The fact that he was so personable and he was this entertainer, it felt good to have him in your corner.
asserted
it → feel → corner
He's not like us, because he's a billionaire, but he's willing to empathize with us," Aparicio said.
asserted
Aparicio → empathize → us
"He's going to fight for us."
asserted
He → go → us
Aparicio's attitude now: "I feel like we got duped."
asserted
we → feel → ?
While Aparicio is the president of the College of Republicans Binghamton Chapter, he's so disillusioned with the party that he’s not sure he will even vote in next week’s midterms.
asserted
he → ’ → midterms
Nick Aparicio, a political science student living in Binghamton, N.Y., voted for Donald Trump in 2024 because he believed the president would improve the economy and his own prospects.
asserted
president → live → economy
Aparicio thinks differently now.
asserted
Aparicio → think → ?
For years, it felt like many young men were all in on President Trump and his Make America Great Again platform.
asserted
men → feel → America
So were many popular right-leaning or "manosphere" podcasters, like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson, who helped spread Trump’s message in the run-up to the 2024 election.
asserted
who → lean → election
Together, these groups helped get him re-elected.
asserted
him → help → ?
But young men are increasingly turned off by Trump, and those podcasters are distancing themselves, too — a trend that experts say could swing House and potential Senate seats in the midterms.
uncertain
experts → turn → midterms
"At this point, Democrats have a 26-point lead on Republicans amongst younger people," said John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Institute.
asserted
Volpe → have → Institute
Midterms outcome rests largely on young men
Della Volpe’s recent poll found just nine per cent of young Americans believe the country is on the right track, while 69 per cent say they're fearful about the future.
asserted
they → rest → future
The same poll found only 31 per cent of young men said they would definitely vote.
asserted
they → find → men
"Young men absolutely helped Trump win in the last election and if they don’t come out and vote in these midterms, it will change the outcome."
asserted
it → help → outcome
David Sasaki, a director at the American Institute for Boys and Men, says that many Gen Z men are avid listeners of podcasters like Rogan, Steven Bartlett and standup comedian Andrew Schulz.
asserted
men → say → Rogan
"I think that [young men] feel that they are being spoken to, not just about.
asserted
they → think → ?
It's using language that they use, it's using cultural references and jokes they understand, it’s very relatable," Sasaki said.
asserted
Sasaki → use → references
He said that "authenticity, or at least perceived authenticity, is the currency of politics these days."
asserted
authenticity → say → politics
He also said that podcasters fill a void in some young men.
asserted
podcasters → say → men
"A lot of [them] are not growing up with mentors, role models or male adults in their real life, and they’re finding them online," Sasaki said.
asserted
Sasaki → grow → them
"They have a lot of influence over these voters, who matter a lot come election day."
asserted
who → have → day
Aparicio says while he doesn’t listen to one particular podcaster, like many of his peers, he consumes their content through social media clips.
asserted
he → say → clips
In 2024, Rogan, Schulz and Theo Von all hosted Donald Trump on their shows and spoke about MAGA politics — which is, generally speaking, anti-establishment, anti-immigrant and anti-foreign entanglements — in a way that seemed to endorse it.
asserted
that → host → it
But that's changing.
asserted
that → change → ?
Last year, Schulz said on his podcast Flagrant that he regretted voting for Trump.
asserted
he → say → Trump
In April, Carlson, the former Fox News personality and now host of the podcast The Tucker Carlson Show, also expressed regret at endorsing Trump in 2024, saying "I’m sorry for misleading people" and that he will be "tormented" by it.
asserted
he → express → it
Meanwhile, Rogan — still the most popular podcaster in the U.S. — has publicly criticized Trump twice: over the White House hosting a UFC fight this summer and the war in Iran.
asserted
House → criticize → Iran
Comedian and podcaster Theo Von, in glasses, arrives prior to the second inauguration of President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.
asserted
Von → arrive → Jan.
CBC reached out to Rogan, Von, Schulz and Carlson for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
asserted
CBC → reach → publication
In an effort to quantify conservative podcasters' disenchantment with Trump, The Wall Street Journal studied how often podcasters such as Rogan and Ben Shapiro have referred to him since the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
asserted
podcasters → quantify → election
According to the Journal’s reporting, mentions of Trump have dropped 70 per cent.
uncertain
mentions → accord → Trump
"There were two main plunges: one was right after the election, after which it steadily dropped, and then it dipped again after the Iran war started," Wall Street Journal reporter Neil Mehta told CBC News.
asserted
Mehta → be → News
Wall Street Journal reporter Neil Mehta has studied how right-leaning podcasters have covered Donald Trump since he was elected president a second time.
asserted
he → study → Trump
But they also prioritize being seen as real and authentic — that’s the sell," Mehta said.
asserted
Mehta → prioritize → ?
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
