Focusing her campaign on abortion rights, Kamala Harris believed she had found a winning strategy to attract women voters.

But it was Donald Trump who claimed victory, increasing his support among American men — particularly young men.

While young people generally tend to lean more liberal, Trump’s presidential campaign effectively capitalised on youth masculinity, tapping into interests such as combat sports and cryptocurrency, and appearing on male-dominated podcasts.

“If you are a man in this country and you don’t vote for Donald Trump, you’re not a man,” said Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist focused on the youth vote.

Trump won the presidency with 54 per cent of men voting Republican, a slight increase from the 51 percent who supported him in 2020, according to exit polling by NBC.

However, what was particularly notable was the support from younger voters aged 18–29, with 49 percent of young men voting for Trump — challenging previous assumptions that young people generally lean left.

As Elon Musk — tech entrepreneur, billionaire, and major Trump supporter — put it on Election Day: “the cavalry has arrived.”