CLAY TRAVIS: Why Republicans must learn to motivate Trump’s male voters again

1 year ago, Donald Trump He achieved a transformative election victory, sweeping all seven swing states and the popular vote, and making all 50 states redder than they were in 2020.

How did he do that?

By motivating men, young people in particular, and sports fans who are tired of the craziness of men winning women’s sports championships. I wrote about victory in my new book.Balls“, which was released on Tuesday.

The book addresses Trump’s landslide victory, but it also poses an important question as we look to the future: Now that Trump is, unfortunately, unable to run for re-election, how can we do that? Republicans Can we ensure that Trump’s MAGA coalition extends, and even grows, beyond his presidency?

The results are: The biggest winner and loser of 2025 from the off-year election

In 2024, the two most conservative voting groups in America are older males and young people under 30.

This has never happened before in any of our lives.

It was an overnight cultural shift.

OutKick founder Clay Travis and the cover of his new book, “Balls: How Trump, Youth, and Sports Saved America.” (Federal National Council)

Trump also received record support among white, black, Asian and Hispanic men as well, but that same momentum did not extend into 2025. In fact, Tuesday’s voting results paint an ominous picture of what 2026 and 2028 could look like if young people are not as enthusiastic about showing up and voting as they did in 2024.

Consider the numbers: in 2024, Trump received 1.968 million votes in New Jersey And 2.075 million votes in Virginia. While he lost both states by a narrow margin to Kamala Harris – by nearly 5% – received more votes than Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Abigail Spanberger – who won Virginia by 1.961 million votes – and New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Mickey Sherrill – Who won the state of New Jersey by obtaining 1.792 million votes.

Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger celebrates as she takes the stage during her Election Night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on November 4, 2025. (Wayne McNamee/Getty Images)

So how did the two Democratic gubernatorial candidates win the election so comfortably despite receiving fewer votes than Trump did in their states a year ago? Yes, partly because it was an off-year cycle and overall turnout trended down, but they won comfortably because roughly 600,000 Trump voters did not show up to vote in 2025 and did show up to vote in 2024.

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Who are these voters?

Young people, sports fans, blue-collar workers, and Trump’s MAGA base that will come out to support Trump when he’s on the ballot, but won’t show up when he’s not on the ballot.

Rep. Mickey Sherrill, Democratic candidate for governor of New Jersey, during an election night event in East Brunswick, New Jersey on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. (Michael Nagel/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Will these voters return in 2026 and in 2028 when Trump is no longer on the ballot? It depends on how well future Republican candidates speak to these voters. Some of you will think I’m crazy for telling you this, but once the 2026 midterm elections are over, expect a shift so rapid it will make your heads spin — Democrats will all argue in 2027 that Trump’s unique political gifts end with him, and that MAGA is finished without Trump as its leader. Yes, from “It’s Hitler!” to “He’s the most talented Republican president we’ve ever had,” almost overnight.

I’m telling you, it’s coming.

Because Democrats will rely on Trump as a political unicorn, a candidate so talented that only he can lead a coalition as large as the one he won in 2024.

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So what do Republicans need to do to broaden Trump’s appeal among young people? I think it’s a combination of three things, which is marrying politics and personal things together, which is what Trump was uniquely gifted at doing.

1. On the policy front, the 2024 election was about the economy, borders and crime

It was as easy as EBC.

Trump won the arguments on all three fronts. yet, Trump 2.0 It ended the border as a problem by ending illegal immigration and reducing crime to record levels in many states and cities. The challenge for the economy is that Biden has been so bad, it takes time to clean up the mess he made. With record high stock prices and record low gas prices, Trump is giving us all stock market assets and all of us who have to fill our tanks.

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But there is lingering anger about the cost of goods. I even feel like it every time I buy a Chick-fil-A meal for my family and it costs more than $50. Fast food, really!

Prices rose very quickly under the president Joe Biden That sticker shock is still real even in 2025. Trump has halted rapid price increases and, in the case of some purchases like gas, actually brought them back to a lower level than they were under Biden, but that bitter taste of inflation takes time to wear off.

So far that has not happened.

2. Focus on men in women’s sports

Is it the most important issue in the country?

no.

But it crystallizes the absurdity Democratic politics For young people and sports enthusiasts who have fueled the Trump’s record win in 2024.

If you think a man should be able to win a women’s sports championship, how can I trust your opinion on anything? As I wrote in “Balls“This case, along with EBC, won Trump the election in 2024.

I think that will still be the message in 2026 as well, because amazingly, Democrats have doubled down on defending men in women’s sports across the country.

This issue is not going away.

3. Have fun and be entertained.

My favorite moments of the 2024 campaign were when Trump dressed up as a McDonald’s employee and garbage man and rode around in a garbage truck.

Was it ridiculous and ridiculous?

naturally.

But the number one gift Trump got that he didn’t take any credit for is: He’s funny!

Yes, politics is serious. But it should also be fun. Trump is a happy warrior And the happy warriors win.

The two most successful Republican presidents in my lifetime were Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Both were, in many respects, professional artists. They knew how to cut through the noise and were original in the way they did it.

Trump is not perfect, and none of us are, but he is the most comfortable president any of us have ever seen, and he has tremendous political instincts.

You can spend a hundred million dollars on an ad campaign and not get the free media attention Trump got, scooping French fries and talking to voters while driving through Pennsylvania. This style of politics is unbeatable. Well, I would argue that the best version of Trump is the one you find in fast food restaurants. He genuinely loves going out and interacting with people. This is a skill that cannot be taught, but can be emulated.

We used to ask, which candidate would you rather have a beer with? While Trump doesn’t drink, he joked, can you imagine what he would say if he did? -It’s authentic and real. like artificial intelligence Over a large part of the country, I think originalism will become the most important political key in this area.

Young people in particular, steeped in the artificiality of social media that is constantly fed to them on their phones, have an innate sense that when they are polled and marketed, they inhale it better than older voters.

If you want them to show up and support you, you have to earn their trust.

That’s why I truly believe the election was over when it came to male voters when Trump was shot Butler, Pennsylvania.

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At that moment, after narrowly escaping death by half an inch, Trump, whom his critics called a fake, rose up and shouted: “Fight, fight, fight!” Three times. At that moment, the election was over for male voters.

It was the bravest presidential moment of my life.

But it was also one of the most authentic.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he was escorted off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. In Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Getty Images/Rebecca Druck)

In times of great danger, your personal character is revealed. In that perilous thousandth of a second, Trump became a legend and won the election.

He has proven once and for all that he hasBalls“.

So far, no Democrat has proven they do.

As long as this remains the case, the Republicans will not lose their men.

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That’s why the best example of an oxymoron in America today is not “jumbo shrimp,” but “Male Democrat“.

Because after all, there are certainly big shrimp, but there are still no masculine Democrats.

Clay Travis is the author of the new book, Balls: How Trump, Youth, and Sports Fans Saved America. Buy it here.

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