CLAY TRAVIS: Why Republicans should be taught to inspire Trump’s male voters once more

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One yr in the past, Donald Trump received a transformative election victory, sweeping all seven swing states, the favored vote, and transferring all fifty states redder than they have been in 2020.

How did he do it?

By motivating males, younger males specifically, and sports activities followers who have been fed up with the madness of males successful ladies's sports activities championships. I wrote concerning the victory in my new guide, "Balls," which was launched on Tuesday.

The guide addresses the landslide Trump victory, however it additionally asks an necessary query when trying ahead prospectively: Now that Trump, sadly, is not capable of run for reelection, how do Republicans make sure that the Trump MAGA coalition extends, and even grows, past his personal presidency?

THE RESULTS ARE IN: 2025'S BIGGEST WINNER AND LOSERS FROM THE OFF-YEAR ELECTIONS

In 2024, the 2 most conservative voting teams in America have been male senior residents and younger males below the age of thirty.

This has by no means occurred earlier than in any of our lives.

It was a cultural transformation in a single day.

OutKick founder Clay Travis and the quilt of his new guide, "Balls: How Trump, Younger Males, and Sports activities Saved America." (FNC)

Trump additionally received file help amongst White, Black, Asian and Hispanic males as nicely, however that very same momentum did not prolong to 2025. Certainly, Tuesday's voting outcomes paint an ominous image of what 2026 and 2028 may seem like if younger males aren't motivated to point out up and vote like they did in 2024.

Take into account the numbers: in 2024, Trump acquired 1.968 million votes in New Jersey and a couple of.075 million votes in Virginia. Whereas he misplaced each states by slender margins to Kamala Harris — by roughly 5% — he acquired extra votes than the Virginia Democrat candidate for governor, Abigail Spanberger — who received Virginia with 1.961 million votes — and the New Jersey Democrat candidate for governor, Mikie Sherrill — who received New Jersey with 1.792 million votes.

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger celebrates as she takes the stage throughout her election night time rally on the Better Richmond Conference Middle on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Photos)

So how did each Democratic gubernatorial candidates win election comfortably regardless of receiving fewer votes than Trump did of their states a yr in the past? Sure, partly as a result of it was an off-year cycle and total turnout trended down, however they received comfortably as a result of roughly 600,000 Trump voters did not present as much as vote in 2025 who did present as much as vote in 2024.

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Who're these voters?

Younger males, sports activities followers, blue collar staff, the Trump MAGA base that can come out to help Trump when he is on the poll, however will not present up when he isn't on the poll.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for New Jersey, throughout an election night time occasion in East Brunswick, New Jersey on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg by way of Getty Photos)

So will these voters return in 2026 and in 2028 when Trump is not on the poll? That is determined by how nicely future Republican candidates converse to those voters. A few of y'all will suppose I am loopy for telling you this, however as quickly because the 2026 mid-term elections are over, anticipate a pivot so speedy it'll make your head spin — Democrats in 2027 will all argue that Trump's distinctive political presents finish with him, that MAGA is over with out Trump as its chief. Yep, from "He is Hitler!" to "He is essentially the most gifted Republican president in any of our lifetimes," nearly in a single day.

I am telling you, it is coming.

As a result of Democrats are going to financial institution on Trump as a political unicorn, a candidate so gifted that solely he may energy a coalition as substantial as he received in 2024.

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So what do Republicans must do to increase and even develop Trump's attraction with younger males? I believe it is a mixture of three issues, wed the coverage and the non-public collectively, as Trump has been uniquely gifted at doing.

1. On the coverage entrance, the 2024 election was concerning the financial system, the border, and crime It was as simple as EBC.

Trump received the arguments on all three of those fronts. Thus far, Trump 2.0 has ended the border as a difficulty by ending unlawful immigration and pushed crime right down to file lows in lots of states and cities. His problem on the financial system is that Biden was so dangerous, it is taking time to wash up his mess. With file excessive inventory costs and file low gasoline costs, Trump is delivering for all of us with inventory market property and all of us who must refill our tanks.

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However there is a lingering anger over how a lot items price. Even I really feel it every time I purchase a Chick-fil-A meal for my household and it prices over $50. For quick meals, actually!

Costs went up so quick below President Joe Biden that the sticker shock remains to be actual even in 2025. Trump has stopped the speedy value will increase and, within the case of some purchases like gasoline, has truly introduced them again decrease than they have been throughout Biden, however that bitter aftertaste of inflation takes time to put on off.

Thus far it hasn't.

2. Give attention to males in ladies's sports activities Is it an important difficulty within the nation?

No.

But it surely crystallizes the absurdity of Democrat insurance policies for younger males and sports activities followers, who offered the gas to Trump's file win in 2024.

Should you consider a person ought to be capable of win a ladies's sports activities championship, how can I belief your opinion on something? As I wrote in "Balls," this difficulty, mixed with EBC, received Trump the election in 2024.

I believe that can nonetheless be the message in 2026, too, as a result of, amazingly, Democrats have doubled and tripled down on defending males in ladies's sports activities everywhere in the nation.

This difficulty is not going away.

3. HAVE FUN and BE ENTERTAINING. My two favourite moments of the 2024 marketing campaign have been when Trump dressed up as a McDonald's worker and as a rubbish man and rode round in a rubbish truck.

Was it absurd and ridiculous?

After all.

However the primary reward Trump has that he receives zero credit score for is that this: HE'S FUNNY!

Sure, politics are critical. However they need to even be enjoyable. Trump is a cheerful warrior and pleased warriors win.

The 2 most profitable Republican presidents of my life have been Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Each have been, in lots of respects, skilled entertainers. They knew learn how to lower via the noise and have been genuine in the best way they did so.

Trump is not good, none of us are, however he is essentially the most comfy president in his personal pores and skin that any of us have ever seen and he has super political instincts.

You possibly can spend 100 million on an advert marketing campaign and never get the free media consideration that Trump did, scooping out fries and speaking with voters on the drive-thru in Pennsylvania. That type of politicking is unbeatable. Heck, I might argue the most effective model of Trump is the one you get in quick meals eating places. He genuinely loves getting out and interacting with folks. That is a ability that may't be taught, however it may be emulated.

We used to ask the query, which candidate would you moderately have a beer with? Whereas Trump would not drink — as he is jokingly mentioned, are you able to think about what he'd say if he drank? — he is genuine and actual. As synthetic intelligence takes over a lot of the nation, I consider authenticity will develop into an important political key to the realm.

Younger folks specifically, who're steeped in social media artificiality fed to them consistently on their telephones, have an innate sense of once they're being poll-tested and marketed to, they sniff it out higher than older voters.

If you need them to point out up and help you, you must win their belief.

Which is why I really consider the election was over when it got here to male voters when Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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In that second, having escaped dying by half an inch, Trump, whose critics had labeled him a phony, rose up and screamed, "Battle, combat, combat!" 3 times. At that instantaneous, the election was over for male voters.

It was the bravest presidential second of my life.

But it surely was additionally one of the crucial genuine.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service brokers as he's taken off the stage at a marketing campaign occasion at Butler Farm Present Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Getty Photos/Rebecca Droke)

In instances of nice peril, your personal private character is revealed. In these perilous milliseconds, Trump turned a legend and received the election.

He proved as soon as and for all he had "Balls."

And to this point no Democrat has confirmed that they do.

As long as that is still the case, Republicans aren't going to lose males.

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Which is why the most effective instance of an oxymoron in America right this moment is not "jumbo shrimp," it is "masculine Democrat."

As a result of in spite of everything, there are actually massive shrimp, however there are nonetheless no masculine democrats.

Clay Travis is the creator of the brand new guide, "Balls: How Trump, Younger Males and Sports activities Followers Saved America." Purchase it right here.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CLAY TRAVIS

Clay Travis is the founding father of the fastest-growing nationwide multimedia platform, OutKick, which produces and distributes participating content material throughout sports activities and popular culture to tens of millions of followers throughout the nation. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and offered to the Fox Company in 2021. One of the crucial electrifying and outspoken personalities within the trade, Travis hosts OutKick The Present the place he offers his unfiltered opinion on essentially the most compelling headlines all through sports activities, tradition, and politics. He additionally makes common appearances on FOX Information Media as a contributor offering evaluation on a wide range of topics starting from sports activities information to the cultural panorama.