Late Tuesday night, it became clear that Donald Trump would be re-elected as President of the United States, much to the delight of so-called “mavericks.”
For years, these male podcasters, influencers, and celebrities have promoted themselves as free-thinking pundits who eschew the boundaries of political classification. “Their political views may once have been described as liberal,” Anna Marlan wrote in the Guardian in August. The word used to describe them comes from the Greek words heteros, meaning other, and doxa, meaning opinion, and referred to the same thing.
But in 2024, straight men broadly supported, endorsed, and celebrated Trump’s hypermasculine promises. This has created a moment in which the majority of online voices appealing to young people are clearly pro-Trump. In the wake of his victory, at least those who pretended to be politically ambivalent now feel no need to moderate themselves.
Joe Rogan posted a video to X on Tuesday night of himself watching Trump’s campaign party on Fox News, respectfully shouting “fuck you” and reacting to Trump’s victory. Rogan, whose chart-topping podcast’s audience is estimated to be 81% male, considers himself more of a conversationalist than a pundit, but nevertheless, on The Joe Rogan Experience, Trump and J.D. After hosting Vance, he endorsed Trump hours before the election. (He invited Kamala Harris, but they couldn’t agree on interview terms.)
Logan supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary, then voted Libertarian, and initially favored Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in 2024. Although he is fiercely opposed to gender, he has supported leftist policies such as drug and marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage, and abortion rights. -Affirm care for transgender youth. Ultimately, he attributed the pivot to Trump to Elon Musk, the last guest on his podcast before the election.
“If it wasn’t for him, we would be screwed,” Rogan wrote of Musk. “He makes the most convincing case for Mr. Trump. I agree with him every step of the way.”
Mr. Musk, generally well-liked among mavericks and their supporters, was overjoyed as Mr. Trump’s victory became clear. He posted a photo of himself holding a sink in the Oval Office to He seemed to be enjoying success and influence over policy. , he helped secure it.
After voting for Obama and opposing Trump in 2016, Musk’s shift to the far right became evident during the pandemic. The company was frustrated by production delays at SpaceX and Tesla due to lockdown requirements. Since taking over Twitter (now known as I have supported it. “Your body is my choice. Forever,” Fuentes posted Tuesday night. The phrase has since spread on social media. Musk has been privately sharing an increasing amount of far-right content on his page, particularly transphobic content in response to his estranged daughter coming out as transgender. It seems that.
Final election data has not yet been released, but initial exit polls show that men, especially young men between the ages of 18 and 29, were a key pillar of Trump’s support. Exit polls show that young men are more at odds with liberal young women than ever before, favoring Trump over Harris 56% to 42%, while young women favor Trump 58% to 40%. supports Harris. These young men, especially those without a college degree, feel unfulfilled and dissatisfied with their jobs and lives, and desire a social and family life with traditional gender roles. For years, the media has documented how a growing number of young people are becoming radicalized after consuming content from right-leaning entertainers and commentators, especially on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. Now that many of these men are of voting age, this phenomenon appears to be benefiting Trump and the far right.
A 2021 study found that the main predictor of support for Trump across party affiliation, gender, race, and education level was a belief in “hegemonic masculinity” and that men should be in positions of power. It is said to be “mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally demanding” and rejects anything that is considered effeminate or homosexual. Some maverick influencers have built a following by embodying and promoting this very brand of masculinity, feeding their followers a script that blames women for their grievances.
People like me, independents, moderates – the Democratic Party gave us no choice.
dave portnoy
Jordan Peterson, who has built a career as a pop pseudo-psychologist who promotes the restoration of the patriarchy and the “masculine ethos,” considers himself “devoid of ideology,” but Tucker He aligns himself with right-wing figures such as Carlson, Andy Go, and Andy Go. Matt Walsh has frequently criticized media coverage of Trump as biased. He was quick to congratulate Trump on his victory, even if in a backhanded way. “Thank heavens you working class scumbags,” he posted on X at 1:40 a.m.
Niko Ken de Ballintargy, better known by his YouTube nickname “Sneeko,” took to the streets of New York on Tuesday night wearing a Make America Great Again hat and an American flag draped over his shoulder. Suniko, who supported Bernie Sanders in 2016 before switching allegiance to Trump, was seen smiling and trying to provoke those around him after each result. I laughed out loud when I saw one of the women crying. The day before the election, he had posted on X that “Kamala Harris is proof that women shouldn’t vote.”
Not all maverick figures were explicitly pro-Trump this year. Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, which targets an overwhelmingly male audience (particularly college men), was also quick to react to the election results. Mr. Portnoy, who has been accused of consistent misogynistic behavior both at work and outside of work in videos posted to his Instagram, has never supported Mr. Trump but is a liberal. He expressed his anger towards voters of his own faction.
“People like me, independents, moderates, Democrats, they didn’t give us a choice,” Portnoy said, slurring his speech at times. “That was the worst campaign ever. And their sheer arrogance and moral superiority has turned people away. When you say you’re going to vote for Trump, all of a sudden you’re a Nazi, you’re Hitler, you’re trash. Enough. Enough. .
Rex Fridman also didn’t support Trump. Although the science and politics podcast host is less brash than most mavericks, he remains popular among young men and attracts right-wing figures like Carlson and former Trump aide Stephen Miller for interviews. Still friendly when stopping by. On election night, he responded to Musk’s enthusiasm for Trump with a rocket emoji and “LFG!”
He also believed that while congratulating President Trump, he acknowledged his own victory. “PS: Full-length podcast FTW,” he posted. “I look forward to politicians on both sides moving forward with more than a few hours of real, human conversation.”
During this election cycle, Mr. Trump set aside (and in some cases fumbled) traditional campaign tactics like door-knocking and canvassing and embraced a peer-centric podcast scene. This choice does not seem to have had a negative impact on his campaign. In fact, it might have helped him. Mr. Trump’s victory is very likely to be a courageous choice for the mavericks, who are now seeing the rewards of openly embracing the right. They certainly aren’t going away.
