Questioning Vox' video
Are young men really turning on Trump?
Vox posted a video about young men are turning on Trump. With rising disapproval ratings, a military adventure in Iran that triggered a major oil blockade, are Trump supporters finally turning against him? Journalist Astead Herndon went to Trump’s UFC wrestling event hosted in DC to interview some young men.
While they have expressed disappointment of how things are turning out, I take it for granted that people will grow dissatisfied with any government in power over time. Herndon built on the premises that young men are turning away from Trump. I find him trying too hard, often asking leading questions like “Do you find Trump less cool than in his first term?”
They all said they came for the UFC event, not for Donald Trump. But this does not indicate he is any less popular. Trump hosted the event. The young men are clearly excited. They like the masculine image of UFC. They are culturally aligned with Trump, much more than with any other politicians.
What I like about the video is that there are a lot of direct and honest conversations with the young men. It gives me a window to the mind of these likely Trump supporters. Despite the premise, I do not see good signs of young men turning against Trump. The dissatisfaction is mild. Not even the chaos of massive tariff, trade wars, and oil blockade has provoked much serious objections.
My take away from the video is how little the Democrats can offer to these young people. While people see the link of the Iran war and high gas price, Democrats do not have a policy to offer cheap gasoline either. Their priority is to reduce gas use to avert climate change. Culturally, the Democrats’ LGBTQ focus is outright antithesis to them. For all objections raised, the UFC event and Trump much more resonate with them.
Two years since Kamala Harris’ disastrous defeat in the presidential election, Democrats have offered no new direction but doubled down on the losing prepositions. Looking ahead at the next election cycle, the best hope is maybe for JD Vance to win. I may not like his policy, but at least he is more sane than Trump.