Memes, Pop Culture, And Economy: How Young Voters Helped Trump Win

Authored by Petr Svab via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

News Analysis

President-elect Donald Trump has many people to thank for winning the election, but near the top of the list should be his young voters, who moved in great numbers toward the Republican since his last election in 2020.

While four years ago Gen Z—those aged 18–29—voted for President Joe Biden by a 25-point margin, this time around, they broke for Vice President Kamala Harris by six points only, according to an AP VoteCast exit poll.

A slight majority of Gen Z men, 49–47, went for Trump, according to the Edison Research exit poll.

There are multiple factors that likely caused that shift. Some quantifiable, others hardly so.

Elon Musk

While billionaire Elon Musk burned a chunk of his popularity by endorsing Trump, he remained popular among Gen Z with 25-point net favorability in an October YouGov survey compared to a 5-point net favorability overall.

Yet it may be less his technological accomplishments such as Tesla and SpaceX and more his online persona that young voters find likable. Musk often expresses himself in memes and with pop culture references popular with Gen Z. He also places a premium on authenticity—a trait appealing to Gen Z.

Last year, when interviewed by CNBC, Musk was asked why he shares his opinions online even when he knew many people wouldn’t like them and it has had some negative effects on his companies.

Musk paused for 12 seconds and then replied:

“You know, I’m reminded of the scene of the ‘Princess Bride’—great movie—where he confronts the person who killed his father and he says, ‘Offer me money, offer me power. I don’t care.’ … I’ll say what I want to say and if the consequence of that is losing money, so be it.”

While the 1987 movie came out many years before Gen Z was born, it’s the source of a number of popular memes Gen Z is familiar with.

Musk also has some bona fides with the gamer community. Just a day before the election, he divulged during his interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan that he was among the top-rated Diablo 4 players, though the ranking is unofficial.

Trump appears to have an uncanny ability to produce meme-able content. Starting with his “you’re fired” trope on “The Apprentice” reality show, to his “you’d be in jail” jab during the 2016 presidential debate with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, through to his YMCA dance he has repeated on stage during his rallies, he has become a part of the meme culture.

During his debate with Harris, Trump said that Haitian immigrants were eating dogs and cats, a claim based on a handful of unconfirmed anecdotes. People turned his comments into songs and memes that quickly went viral. Even when the original intent was to mock Trump in many cases, his supporters embraced the meme, which then became the highlight of the entire debate.

After his election win, some people expressed the sentiment online that, although they may not agree with Trump, they are happy for the memes his presidency will likely produce.

The Harris campaign also had several viral moments, such as running with the comment by British pop singer Charli XCX that Harris was a “brat” or memes based on a quote she attributed to her mother last year: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”

Those moments, however, seemed to have quickly faded, compared to some of the Trump memes that have been reused and resurfaced for years.

During his last several months campaigning, Trump gave more than a dozen podcast interviews, including long-form talks with Lex Fridman and Rogan. He also joined the “Bussin’ With The Boys” and Theo Von shows.

Podcasts are a popular source of information for Gen Z. They allow for a less scripted setting, which fits Gen Z’s preference for authenticity.

Harris gave several such interviews too, appearing on the “Call Her Daddy” show with Alex Cooper as well as the “All the Smoke” podcast and several radio shows. Her appearances, however, were shorter and more sporadic.

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