Former President Trump is banking on his appeal to male voters to offset his struggles with female voters, with the gender gap in support between him and Vice President Harris set to play a key role in November’s election.
Much has been made about Trump’s difficulties with female voters; polls show him underwater with that group. But Trump’s allies have pointed to the former president’s enduring support with men, and his campaign’s efforts to court younger men, in particular, as a way to offset that disadvantage.
Trump has attended multiple Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, joined professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau for his YouTube show, appeared with controversial internet streamer Adin Ross and sat down with podcasters such as Theo Von and influencer and wrestler Logan Paul.
Those appearances are part of a broader effort by the former president’s campaign to connect with young men, a group viewed by both campaigns as among the more persuadable ones in the election.
“Democrats have been losing ground with male voters cycle after cycle because Kamala Harris’ agenda to raise costs, hike taxes, open the southern border, and weaken America in the eyes of the world has made all Americans worse off,” senior Trump campaign adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement. “Male voters know that if you want more money in your pockets, safer communities, and peace through strength, President Trump is the only choice on November 5.”
Male voters are not a monolith; nor are Black men or Latino men. But the Trump campaign has tried to make inroads with each of those groups through his media appearances, his celebrity endorsements and the central campaign theme of “strength vs. weakness.”
Trump’s allies suggested the former president’s support among male voters stems from his appeal on issues such as the economy and immigration. Other issues — including abortion, which Harris has made central to her campaign — tend to rate lower in importance for many male voters.
“The top two issues for men this election are inflation and the border. They’re not thinking about abortion in the way a lot of women are,” one Republican strategist said.
Polling has consistently shown voters trust Trump more on immigration, and he has long held an edge on the economy, though Harris has closed the gap.
Trump won male voters by 8 percentage points in 2020, according to exit polls, garnering 53 percent of the vote to President Biden’s 45 percent.
A CNN national poll released Tuesday showed Trump leading Harris by 9 points among men, 52-43.
A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted after the Sept. 10 debate between Trump and Harris found the Republican leading by 17 points among men, and found 62 percent of men think the country is heading in the wrong direction.
That poll also featured a significant gender gap, as it showed Harris leading by 11 points among women.
A Harvard Institute of Politics poll published Tuesday of 2,002 voters under 30 found Harris leading Trump by 17 percentage points among male voters and by 47 points among female voters.
“This is one of those polls without much nuance. Harris is dominant. Leading across most every group, including men & non-college youth,” John Della Volpe, the institute’s director of polling, posted on the social platform X.
The Harris campaign argued the former president’s appeals to male voters were mostly hollow and were not offering specific solutions to specific problems. And a spokesperson argued the Democratic operation was working to reach men and young men where they consume information.
“While Trump relies on a handful of podcast appearances and empty gestures to gloss over an agenda that offers little substance on the issues men care about — instead promising to ban abortion nationally, kick kids off their health insurance, and raise taxes on the middle class — Vice President Harris and her campaign are going everywhere, making her case for a future where everyone has a chance not just to get by, but to get ahead,” Harris campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster said in a statement.
The Harris campaign has aired ads during NFL and college football games, and it has leaned into Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) background as a football coach. Walz and other surrogates have toured college campuses in recent weeks, with the governor meeting with fraternity members to discuss the importance of voting.
The Harris campaign has also built up its presence on TikTok, podcasts and Instagram, partnering with influencers with large followings, particularly among men. Harris sat for an interview this week with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
Harris’s allies have also sought to bolster her standing, particularly with white men. The group White Dudes for Harris has held virtual fundraisers to tout their support, and last week, it rolled out a $10 million ad campaign, with the first ad of the effort targeting white men in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
During a recent interview with the National Association of Black Journalists, Harris rejected the idea that Black men were falling in line behind Trump, saying candidates had to “earn” their vote just like any other group.
“So, I’m working to earn the vote — not assuming I’m going to have it because I am Black, but because the policies and the perspectives I have understands what we must do to recognize the needs of all communities, and I intend to be a president for all people,” she said.
