Detroit
CNN
—
Justin Centers fits the profile of many younger men who helped power Donald Trump’s political comeback last fall.
He’s a 21-year-old autoworker from the Detroit suburbs and was newly eligible to vote in presidential elections — a cross-section of traits Trump aggressively targeted in his bid to reclaim battlegrounds like Michigan. He’s also a longtime fan of Theo Von, the shaggy-haired, free-wheeling comedian and podcast host whose viral interview with Trump last August signaled an emerging political shift among millennial and Gen Z men.
Centers ultimately voted for Trump, and Von had a VIP seat at the inauguration. But in recent months, Von has expressed growing dissatisfaction with Trump’s second stint in the White House — sentiments that were echoed by Centers outside Detroit’s Fox Theatre as he waited to catch Von’s stand-up tour.
“Completely being honest, I’m a little iffy now,” Centers said of the president. “One of the things I primarily voted for was ‘No new wars,’ and unfortunately, that has been a big lie to my face. So, it’s extremely disappointing to see that.”
After losing men under 50 by double digits in 2020, Trump’s campaign made a concerted push to reverse that trend. His outreach included appearances on podcasts and YouTube shows hosted by a growing universe of male comedians, pranksters, streamers and other right-leaning influencers who had cultivated large, loyal followings. The approach paid off and has already spawned copycats in both parties.
Lately some of the most influential voices within the so-called manosphere have begun expressing concerns, if not outright regret, with Trump’s return to Washington.
Joe Rogan, who interviewed Trump on his top-rated podcast last October before endorsing him, recently called the new administration’s immigration crackdown “insane.” Von criticized Trump’s bombing of Iran as a “horrible idea,” saying it made the US look like it’s “working for Israel.” Billionaire X owner Elon Musk, once a prominent Trump ally and a key figure in reshaping the online media ecosystem, is now publicly warring with the president over the cost of his legislative agenda and promising to bankroll a third party. And comedian Andrew Schulz, a Trump supporter last year, told listeners of his “Flagrant” podcast that the president was “doing the exact opposite of everything I voted for.”
Even unexpected corners of the manosphere have begun to show signs of revolt. Professional poker players, for example, have lashed out at Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for changes in tax law that will require them to pay the government even when they lose money.
“You just really start to feel very disillusioned pretty quickly,” Von said in a recent podcast.
At Von’s recent Detroit show, Carhartt logos, camo and mullets mixed easily with A-frame hats, golf polos and tins of nicotine pouches. Plumes of vape periodically hovered over the audience. The crowd’s overwhelmingly White complexion was a reoccurring source of material for the comedian.
During a rollicking 90-minute set, Von didn’t directly broach politics or Trump. But the conflicting feelings he has shared on his podcast were voiced by his fans, too.
Steven Deuby, a 34-year-old mail carrier from Wayne County, scoffed at the price tag of Trump’s massive tax cuts and spending package. “Five trillion dollars? That’s insane,” he said.
But Deuby, an Army veteran, said he backed Trump’s military moves to date and remained supportive of the president overall.
“There’s stuff to criticize about Trump, but for the most part, I think he’s doing much more important (stuff) than Joe Biden,” Deuby said.
Walking up to the Fox Theatre in a Von T-shirt, Tyler Goldsmith said he understood the complaints from Von and others, but would give Trump the benefit of the doubt for now.
“When you go into your first year, you’re not going to do what everybody wanted you to at the beginning, because there are going to be things that you have to retract on, that you have to take care of,” Goldsmith, a 32-year-old lawn-care business owner from Constantine in southwest Michigan.
Polls midway through Trump’s first year back in office suggest growing disapproval with his administration — and there are signs the shift is hitting these younger voters, too. A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds that among men younger than 35, 40% approve of the way Trump is handling his job now and 60% disapprove, significantly worse than Trump’s ratings with older men. In February, 44% of men under 35 approved and 54% disapproved.
But whether this disenchantment presents trouble for Republicans or creates an opening for Democrats remains to be seen.
While the concerns that are animating Von and other online influencers may produce compelling podcast content, they are less likely to dictate how young men vote in future elections, said David Winston, a veteran Republican pollster. Economic factors like wages and inflation weighed heavily on the minds of many voters last fall and likely will moving forward, he said.
“When a voter has just gone a different direction, they’re the ones that can go back the other way. They just made a decision and now they’re going to see if that worked or it didn’t work,” Winston said. “The idea that they could bounce back to Democrats is certainly very possible. Having said that, they left for a reason.”
Centers, for his part, voiced frustrations on several fronts. He’s a recent Tesla owner concerned Trump’s vendetta against electric vehicles will ultimately hurt his purchase. He’s also an expecting father who is worried about having a family in an economic environment he doesn’t believe is improving.
Still, Centers said he was unlikely to change to vote Democrat.
“A lot of stuff I identify with falls along the conservative agenda,” he said.
White House advisers have long held concerns that many voters who helped elect Trump in November — including young men — are at risk of skipping a midterm election when he isn’t on the ballot. Motivating those voters has been a top priority for Trump’s political team as it seeks to maintain control of Congress.
Mark Mitchell, the top pollster for the conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports, has publicly warned that the Trump’s coalition could be fractured by his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, a longtime fixation for Rogan and other right-leaning podcasters favored by men.
The Department of Justice concluded last week the accused sex trafficker killed himself in prison and did not keep a list of elite and high-profile clients, sparking outrage from MAGA conspiracists who had long been told otherwise by many in Trump’s orbit.
MAGA faithful weigh in on Epstein files debate
The CNN poll found 65% of men younger than 35 are dissatisfied with the amount of information the federal government has released about the Epstein case, while just 10% are satisfied. That’s higher than the share of dissatisfied among the general population.
“What is enraging people right now is it’s insulting our intelligence,” Schulz said on his podcast last week.
On Saturday, Trump urged his supporters to move on from their Epstein outrage in a lengthy social media post — a message that landed poorly among some of Von’s fans.
“You said you were going to show us (the Epstein files), now you’re just being the very thing you said you were going to end,” said Ben, a chemical worker from Battle Creek, Michigan, who asked CNN not to use his last name. “Not as transparent as what I thought.”
He said Trump’s posture on Epstein was the final straw. If he could go back, “maybe I just wouldn’t vote,” he said.
Amid the discontent, Democrats have sought to make inroads into the manosphere.
Former Transportation Secretary and potential 2028 contender Pete Buttigieg appeared earlier this year on “Flagrant.” Multiple outlets reported that Rogan recently interviewed Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a rising Democratic star considering a Senate bid. Von recently spoke at length with Rep. Ro Khanna, the progressive Democrat from California, and revealed he planned to chat with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, before a scheduling conflict postponed their conversation. (He also released an episode with Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican whom Trump has threatened to help defeat.)
Schulz recently suggested democratic socialists like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders appear to be prioritizing America more than Trump.
“If MAGA wants to take this ‘America First’ thing back, they got to start looking out for America,” he said.
Giving airtime to politicians across the spectrum isn’t just a pivot from the Trump-centric content of the previous election cycle. Many of the most prominent male influencers dub themselves as independent thinkers unbeholden to either party.
Regardless, Nathan Sheldon, a 35-year-old from Northville, Michigan, sporting a “Don’t Tread on Comedy” shirt at Von’s show, told CNN he appreciated hearing from Democrats in full, unfiltered interviews.
“Them going on to platforms like Schulz and Rogan, I can finally hear some ideas,” Sheldon said. “They’re starting to stand out.”
CNN’s Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.
