Trump built the manosphere, brick by brick

How MAGA got a Gen Z bump. [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a ceiling made out of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - [Some women]( voted for Trump. - But [health care]( could be a dump. - MAGA got a [Gen Z bump](. - [Latinos]( also helped him jump. The [Femininomenon]( That Never Was Some [corners]( of the internet are in despair: “This must be how Katniss felt when they made her do the Hunger Games a second time,” one TikToker [wrote]( after seeing the election results. “Maybe they’ll at least bring back lobotomies for women,” another [quipped]( Roommates are [breaking]( TVs. Grannies are [chanting]( about Roe v. Wade. Even Ted Cruz’s daughter is [rolling her eyes]( at a Trump-filled future. But amid all that female rage is a call to action: Get stuff done before Donald Trump arrives at the White House and strips agencies of their power. It almost feels as though there’s an apocalypse coming: People are encouraging others to [update]( their vaccines. [Renew]( their passports. [Stockpile]( HRT. [Get]( IUDs. [Buy]( abortion medication. [Swear off]( men entirely. It all sounds rather extreme, especially that last one. But plenty of women appear to be dead-serious about joining the “[4B movement]( a term for staying celibate that [originated]( in South Korea a few years ago. Google [searches]( for the phrase are far higher than “move to Canada,” a classic [post-election trope]( To be clear, these are merely observations; I’m not saying you need to beeline it to urgent care to get your shingles shot today. But Lisa Jarvis has her [fair share of concerns]( about what Trump’s embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a known anti-vaxxer who [spreads myths]( about [fluoride]( — means for public health. “The amount of damage that could be done could be astronomical at a time when there’s so much mistrust about science, about vaccines, and about the FDA,” Holly Fernandez Lynch, a professor of medical ethics at University of Pennsylvania, told Lisa. Access to abortion is also in danger. Most Americans want to protect it, but their methods for doing so are somewhat paradoxical: “When it came to their ballot choices on Tuesday, many of the same women who voted to enshrine reproductive rights in their state constitutions also voted to return to the White House the man responsible for stripping them of that right,” Mary Ellen Klas [writes]( calling the decision ironic. “These amendments were not only an outlet for women who don’t want Trump-inspired government sanctions to interfere in their reproductive decisions, but they also let Trump off the hook,” she writes. Although Vice President Kamala Harris won the female vote by a relatively [slim margin]( — 53% to 45% — she lost a major cohort within: White women. Why? Nia-Malika Henderson [says]( women were “central to [Harris’] campaign message around [reproductive rights]( but this election ended up being more about the nation’s [cost-of-living crisis]( than bodily autonomy. Plus, Trump is a notorious waffler on abortion policy. He [calls himself]( “the most pro-life president in American history” and says Democrats kill babies after birth (a total lie), yet claims he’d veto any federal abortion ban and supports the three exceptions (life of the mother, rape and incest). Throughout his campaign, he harnessed that ambiguity to mislead voters. One young woman [told MSNBC]( that she voted for Trump because she liked “that he didn’t actually plan to ban abortion, he just brought it back to the states.” Still, there’s no guarantee that it will stay that way: “As Trump prepares to return to office in January, he remains under pressure to restrict abortion,” Mary Ellen says. “From members of the religious right to the growing group of Christian nationalists [in Congress]( and the Project 2025 crowd, all have [declaredÂ]( abortions ‘are not health care’ and want a ban on the abortion pill mifepristone. We have no guarantee that Trump won’t switch his position again.” The Manosphere Is Alive and Well Meanwhile, in the [manosphere]( Trump’s victory spurred [a torrent]( of vitriolic memes and calls for executions from far-right enthusiasts. Nick Fuentes, a White supremacist who got banned from YouTube in 2020, got 15,000 likes for [his tweet]( that reads: “Women lose again! Your body, OUR CHOICE that ceiling is made out of BRICK!” But that’s just one crazy guy, you say. Then how to explain [these posters]( at Texas State University, which say “Women Are Property”? It’s only a matter of time before these people say women shouldn’t write newsletters. But not all MAGA supporters are conspiracy theory-peddling misogynists. If that were the case, we’d run out of raw milk. What Trump did is amplify [a cultural drumbeat]( that resonates with broad swaths of American men. Having survived two assassination attempts in the span of a few months, the former president became [almost God-like]( winning plaudits from [Elon Musk]( and [Mark Zuckerberg](. Younger [listeners]( of conservative podcasts by Joe Rogan, Tim Pool and Steven Crowder felt [marginalized]( by the Democrats’ push to increase opportunities for women. Trump welcomed them with open arms, championing [Gen Z]( obsessions like [crypto]( and [wrestling](. His appeal was so strong that even groups he had disparaged in the past leapt to his cause: “For Latino men, strongman leaders are also familiar and somewhat fascinating. They are often blunt and rough-edged yet charismatic — in a word, macho,” Patricia Lopez [writes](. “As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, I know the culture can be socially conservative, patriarchal and family-oriented. Abortion and transgender rights were always going to be a difficult sell for Mexicans steeped in Catholicism.” And so, 55% of Latino men voted for Trump. But a cultural backlash is only partly to blame. “Latinos were motivated by the same concerns that drove other voters in the new Trump coalition: an economy that has eroded working-class buying power and a flood of immigrants who were feared as competitors for jobs,” Patricia writes. Indeed, Allison Schrager [says]( the best explanation for Trump’s victory may be economic. “Many men saw their fortunes improve during the first Trump presidency,” she writes. But that good fortune broke under Biden: Thanks to the “[she-covery]( female labor force participation is at [an all-time high](. Young women are more likely to be college-educated than young men. They yearn for the rapid wage gains they made under Trump. Yet the president-elect’s promises might not translate into policy. “The shifts in the job market are real, and it’s not clear Trump’s policies will help young men adapt,” Allison writes. “Imposing tariffs in an attempt to revive manufacturing is just glorified welfare that does [not help anyone thrive]( in the modern economy, including young men.” In other words: The manosphere’s rose-colored memories of Trump 1.0 are not going to magically reappear this time around. Better cash out your memecoins now! Bonus Economy Reading: Republican [policy priorities]( point to inflation once again becoming the risk. — Nir Kaissar Telltale Charts Errr, on second thought, you might wanna hold onto your crypto positions a little bit longer: John Authers [says]( investors think Trump will be “fantastic for banks (largely because of deregulation), and terrible for his own industry of real estate (which could be harmed by higher rates); great for crypto, great for stocks in the US relative to everyone else (because America First), and great for coal at the expense of clean energy.” But not everything is priced in: We still don’t know what Congress or the cabinet will look like come January. Elsewhere in Things That Aren’t Ironed Out Yet, you have the US-[Mexico]( Agreement, which must [be renewed]( by July 1, 2026. Juan Pablo Spinetto [says]( it’ll likely turn into a “full-blown renegotiation” because Trump will probably want to squeeze in clauses about migration and drug trafficking. “Mexico’s exports to the US grew about 4% under Trump 1.0 even with the pandemic and his anti-Mexico rhetoric. … It won’t be easy but I don’t see why Mexico couldn’t achieve the same again because the US has nothing to gain from a destabilized Mexico,” JP writes. Further Reading AI has the power to transform medicine. There’s just [one catch](. — Bloomberg’s editorial board Luckin has overtaken Starbucks as China’s biggest coffee chain. [Here’s why]( — Shuli Ren America’s goal of [cutting emissions in half]( by 2030 is now a pipe dream. — Mark Gongloff Gas got [America off coal](. Now it’s coming for Asia’s oil industry. — David Fickling Nvidia’s Jensen Huang should replicate his [AI gold rush strategy]( with robots. — Parmy Olson The collapse of [Germany’s ruling coalition]( gives the parties a chance to reset. — Katja Hoyer Even an isolationist like Trump should recognize [the shared benefits]( of NATO. — James Stavridis Moncler shouldn’t spend too long [checking out Burberry]( to strike a deal. — Andrea Felsted ICYMI What Trump [can and can’t do]( to sway the Fed. Australia wants [young teens]( off social media. Southwestern Florida [home prices]( are plunging. Kickers Dublin held a Paul Mescal [lookalike contest](. There are 43 monkeys [on the loose]( in South Carolina. Don’t leave your [daughter’s phone]( on ice. (h/t Andrea Felsted) Just [another normal day]( at LaGuardia Airport. America has an [onion problem]( and it’s not [the boil](. Notes: Please send Paul Mescal lookalikes and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. 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