The manosphere stars who helped mobilize young men for Donald Trump in 2024 are losing their shine with that very audience.
Why it matters: Trump and Republicans rode a wave of cultural cachet to reach young male voters. Now, the president and some of his most influential online allies are showing signs of losing their grip on that audience ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Driving the news: New polling from the Democratic project Speaking With American Men suggests some of the most prominent influencers during Trump's 2024 campaign have lost their luster with young male voters, per Puck News,
- Joe Rogan's favorable rating among young men dropped from 11 points, while Elon Musk's popularity dropped 14 points and Tucker Carlson lost 12 points.
- Andrew Tate, who was arrested on sex trafficking and rape charges, had "a -30 net approval rating," per Puck.
Between the lines: Economic pressures and the Iran war have become major concerns for young men heading into the midterms, Puck reported.
- Those issues have caused tension between Trump and the influential voices who bolstered his last campaign.
State of play: Young men are turning on politicians, podcasters and influencers, many of whom may have influenced recent political outcomes. They're becoming more skeptical and turning their backs on politicians, especially Trump.
- The 2026 Young American Men Survey from Cygnal similarly found that among 18- to 30-year-old American men, Trump, Vance and the Republican Party all were viewed unfavorably.
- Trump's numbers among young voters dropped precipitously. Marquette Law School national polling shows that Trump's approval dropped from 40% in January 2025 to 19% in April 2026, before rebounding to 28% in June. The law school hasn't polled on the question since then.
Yes, but: Young men aren't especially enthusiastic about Democrats, either.
- Former President Barack Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani were the only Democrats showing upticks in favorability ratings, per Puck.
Context: Several prominent manosphere personalities have been critical of Trump in his second term, particularly on the Iran war and the Epstein files release.
- Rogan, like many MAGA influencers, has criticized the war and the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.
- Tucker Carlson has chastised Trump over many issues, including his partnership with Israel in going to war.
- Vice President Vance has even admitted the White House "screwed up" on its communications about the Epstein files.
Reality check: Researchers question how influential podcasters and personalities actually were in 2024.
- A September working paper from the NYU Center for Social Media, AI and Politics found that podcast exposure did not necessarily cause Trump's gains among young men.
- Researchers, who reviewed 36,659 podcast episodes from 2024 alongside two survey datasets, found podcasts explained only a small portion of the widening youth gender gap.
The other side: Influencers still have enormous reach among young voters.
- A survey from Morning Consult published on Oct. 16 found that nearly two-thirds of Gen Z adults say they get news from creators, while 62% trust creator recommendations.
- Business Insider reports that one in four U.S. adults feel influencer content has affected their voting decisions.
- Separate Marquette polling found that 54% of adults who consumed podcasts for political news approved of Trump's job performance in June, compared with 38% of adults overall.
The bottom line: The manosphere's biggest personalities still have sway, but the direction of the country isn't helping them — or Trump — with young men.