Digital Frontmen and the Mobilization of Resentment: The American Manosphere, Youth, and the 2024 Presidential Election

Abstract

This article examines the gender gap that emerged during the 2024 United States presidential election, with focus on the ideological polarization within Generation Z. While young women predominantly maintain progressive political orientations, young men demonstrate an increasing alignment with the Republican Party - a pattern consistent with broader global trends. The analysis explores the role of the "manosphere" - conceptualized as a heterogeneous digital ecosystem encompassing Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs), Pick-Up Artists (PUAs), and Incel communities - as an infrastructure for political socialization. In this context, the article assesses the strategies through which the Trump campaign sought to engage and co-opt these online communities. The theoretical framework is anchored in Michael Kimmel’s (2013) notion of aggrieved entitlement, interpreting male voting behavior as a reaction to perceived losses of status. This perspective is further integrated with Arlie Hochschild’s (2016) deep story and Francis Fukuyama’s (2018) theorization of frustrated thymos, providing analytical tools to unpack the symbolic and affective dimensions of contemporary male resentment. The empirical section centers on a case study of the August 2024 livestream featuring Donald Trump and Adin Ross. The article identifies mechanisms of reciprocal legitimation and the construction of narratives aimed at mobilizing a male electorate responsive to the rhetoric of patriarchal restoration and the delegitimization of female expertise.