A Message to Young Men on the Eve of the Harris-Trump Election

You can be part of something great, but you must first summon the confidence to resist being bullied into support for a deeply insecure con man who's trying to use you

(Note: The following statement will soon be posted in video version on Instagram.)

It's just before the election, and I have something I want to say to young men. I’ve worked my entire adult life on “men’s issues,” and whether or not you agree with me, I ask you to hear me out.

Trump and his campaign have tried to convince you that they hear you and care about you. And I know many of you believe the Democrats don't know anything about your lives and struggles.

Both of these beliefs are either misleading, or completely false. Trump is amoral, a purely transactional player. He needs your votes, but almost nothing he's done or promises to do will actually help you. He's a lifelong huckster and a con man. The side of the road is littered with people and groups he used and discarded when they were no longer useful to him.

Don’t listen to his words. Look at his policies. His main achievement in office the first time was a giant tax cut for the wealthy. If you're not a rich man and you support him, you're getting played.

Joe Rogan said recently that young guys who vote conservative are the new rebels. It's a clever line, but it's BS. When you vote right-wing, you're no rebel. You’re supporting deeply entrenched hierarchies of power and privilege. You’re favoring wealthy plutocrats at the expense of the working class. You’re supporting authoritarian rulers who will squelch individual freedom, including women’s right to control their own bodies. You’re giving more authority to Christian nationalists whose goal it is to destroy the constitutional separation between church and state.

People who support those powerful forces are the opposite of rebels. They’re complete and utter conformists. Yet even as right-wing influencers and brocasters bend the knee to the likes of Donald Trump, they have the gall to call men who support Kamala Harris and a politics of gender and racial justice “wimps,” “beta males,” and “cucks”? This is ass backwards, and frankly embarrassing.

I know many of you are motivated by the idea of a hero's journey. I am too. But as a young man you're not a hero if you align yourself with MAGA, a movement that seeks to roll back advancements in many critical areas, from the environment, to worker’s rights, to the fundamental rights of women and children. If you choose to support MAGA, you’re choosing to stand in the way of human progress.  

That is not heroic.

To use a Star Wars analogy: I know that if you’re being honest, many of you would love to imagine yourself as a Jedi Knight, a brave member of the resistance. It’s a romantic notion. But you need to know that if you vote for Trump, you're actually signing up to be a Stormtrooper, just another foot soldier whose main purpose in life is to enforce the power and glory of the Empire.

Is that what you really want for yourself?

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz give you a much better option. They’ve built a campaign and a movement that welcomes everyone to play a part in strengthening and revitalizing American democracy. They support reproductive freedom, sensible gun safety regulations, action on the climate crisis, and support for the rights of workers and consumers.

Going forward, you're a key part of their vision to help create a more perfect union. That's why the political figure your generation most admires, former President Barack Obama, has been tirelessly speaking and stumping for Harris. Like so many others, he knows that Donald Trump has done nothing to advance any of the ideals this country stands for. Just the opposite.

Trump consistently whines and complains about how unfairly he's been treated. It’s laughable. He’s a rich white man who's had everything handed to him, from the time when he was a kid getting driven to elementary school in a limousine, to when he inherited $400 million from his father, to now, when after all his corrupt practices over many decades in business and politics, millions of people still support him and make excuses for his horrible behavior.  

God knows he’s tried to convince you he’s a strong man. But in reality he’s pathetically weak and insecure. Strong men don't whine. They get to work. They also have the self-confidence to admit when they’ve made a mistake. And they don't tear down others like Trump constantly does -- they lift them up.

Recently Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he was endorsing Kamala Harris for president. Arnold is a Republican.  But his father was an Austrian police officer and member of the Nazi party. After the January 6th insurrection, Arnold made a video in which he warned young men against following a deranged demagogue down a dangerous path. 

He talked about his father and other men of that generation who returned from the Second World War as broken men, their lives and the lives of those around them shattered because they believed the lies and promises of a man and movement that told them they could make Germany great again.

Please don't fall for that obvious propaganda this time around! Similarly, I hope you can see through the slogan that “real men vote for Trump.” This is manipulative nonsense. A truly confident man can’t be bullied into supporting anyone – let alone someone as tragically damaged and flawed as the former president. Be a true patriot. Think for yourself!   

You have a choice to make. I hope you choose to support Kamala Harris. Do it for the women you care about, but also do it for yourselves and your fellow men – and for future generations. Step up and do the right thing. You have a great opportunity to be part of something special. Vote for democracy, justice, and the promise of America. And remember, history is watching.