Ex–Obama aide explains why Kamala Harris is losing Gen Z men to Donald Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris is an outspoken fan of Gen Zers. But she’s lagging behind in young male support—which could be a big problem, Dan Pfeiffer, who was a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama, has warned.
In a Tuesday appearance on CNN’s The Lead With Jake Tapper, Pfeiffer—who cohosts the hugely popular Pod Save America podcast—said Harris’s lack of urgency in courting young male voters could cost her the election. That’s especially because former President Donald Trump has been on a tear, showing up for laid-back interviews about topics like drugs and Gen Z culture on male-dominated podcasts.
Unfortunately for Harris, not even diving into Gen Z–approved issues like racial identity and marijuana decriminalization has been enough to meaningfully move the needle.
Trump vs. Harris: How they fare on podcasts
Indeed, Harris has made some effort. Pfeiffer highlighted her recent appearance on All the Smoke, a podcast hosted by two former NBA players, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, which has a largely young Black male listening audience.
“We have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize [marijuana] and stop criminalizing this behavior,” Harris told Jackson and Barnes. It marked the first time she publicly discussed the legalization debate—which has reached a fever pitch in recent years—since clinching the nomination.
Harris also appeared on the Gen Z favorite Call Her Daddy, opposite host Alex Cooper—an invitation to which Trump reportedly declined—but Cooper’s audience is almost entirely female.
Nonetheless, Trump is moving faster, Pfeiffer said: “[The Democrats] have to be doing more to reach out to Gen Z men, both for this election and over the long term, because this is what Trump is doing every day.”
Throughout the campaign, Trump has appeared on numerous male, Gen Z–targeted podcasts, including Bussin’ With the Boys, a Barstool Sports show, Impaulsive with Logan Paul, and This Past Weekend with Theo Von.
Pfeiffer noted that Trump has canceled a string of events, TV appearances, and rallies in recent days, citing exhaustion—a bad sign this close to Nov. 5. But he’s still reportedly set to appear on at least one more podcast: Joe Rogan’s.
“What [Trump] is doing is sitting down and doing a podcast with some podcaster, and that’s where he has made gains in this election,” Pfeiffer said.
Meet them where they are—like on Rogan
Democrats need to reach out to Gen Z men on the platforms where they consume the news already—and that’s “not CNN, [and] it’s not necessarily Pod Save America,” Pfeiffer stressed.
Reports suggest Trump will sit down with the biggest name in podcasting later this week—Joe Rogan, host of The Joe Rogan Experience, the No. 1 podcast in the U.S.—at his Austin studio on Friday.
Harris herself may not be far behind. Reuters reported earlier this month that the Harris camp has been in conversation with Rogan’s team about an appearance, though sources say nothing has been confirmed. The chance to reach Rogan’s audience—an elusive and powerful sect for both candidates—could be enormously impactful.
The Joe Rogan Experience boasts tens of millions of listeners, over 80% of whom are men, and 56% are under 35. This is the precise demographic Harris will need to woo in order to edge out Trump within the next 12 days.
Young men (still) like Trump
Trump has a sizable advantage when it comes to the young male electorate. When Biden was the Democratic nominee, men ages 18 to 29 preferred Trump by an average of 11 percentage points, per a New York Times and Siena College poll.
After Harris became the nominee, young men in swing states, per Siena, now favor him by 13 points. (Young women went for Harris by 30 points, representing a 51-point gap.)
“I love Gen Z. These young leaders are so clear-eyed,” Harris said at a campaign event earlier this week. “They’ve only known the climate crisis, they’ve only known active shooter drills. They’re so wonderfully impatient, right? They’re ready to get in there. Let’s invest in them.”
Harris still leads with young voters—but not by enough to consider the group a lock. Among Gen Z and millennial voters, Harris is the preferred pick over Trump, 47% to 35%, per a new University of Chicago poll.
As evidence for why these more relaxed podcast appearances can be so vital, nearly eight in 10 UChicago respondents said they “pretty much already know” what they need to know about Trump. Only 57% said the same about Harris.
