Male Gen Z Trump voters ‘feel duped’

The tides are shifting among Generation Z supporters of President Donald Trump. During the last election, many young voters saw him as the rebellious outsider ready to dismantle “the swamp” in Washington. However, recent developments, particularly Trump’s comments about the Jeffrey Epstein case, are causing older Gen Z voters — those born between 1997 and 2012 — to reconsider their allegiance ahead of the next election.

The support

Many of Trump’s young supporters are working-class guys who admired his unpolished, unpredictable style, according to USA Today Opinion Contributor Eli Thompson. He described how those close to him saw Trump as the outsider who would challenge the establishment and shake up the political system. Recalling school lunchrooms and online forums, heated debates would spark over whether he could truly overturn elites and their influence.

Broken promises

“My friends who supported Trump and were holding on to the promise that he’d stay true to his word of fighting the elites are now scratching their heads,” Thompson wrote. Trump’s refusal to release the Epstein files, citing concerns about falsely incriminating innocent people, has left these young voters questioning whether their anti-establishment hero is actually part of the swamp he vowed to drain.

‘Podcast bros’

A big factor in this shift is the influence of young “podcast bros” — personalities who once championed Trump but are now reevaluating their support. For example, Andrew Schulz, a conservative comedian and podcaster with a large Gen Z audience, was a vocal Trump supporter last election cycle, praising him as the outsider who would reform Washington and reveal the Epstein files. Now, Schulz and others feel “duped,” accusing Trump of failing to follow through on his promises.

Next steps

So where do these young voters turn? The Democratic Party is a likely destination, but Democrats can’t simply claim to “care” — they need to present a clear alternative. “They need to offer a clear, transparent alternative that can successfully brand Democrats as more honest and authentic,” Thompson wrote. Only then can they convince young conservatives that Trump was never the outsider they believed him to be, but just another part of the “swamp.”

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