When Kamala Harris was conferred the status of “brat” as early as July, Donald Trump obviously had to do something about that. He took an instinctive and transactional gamble – and won.
And the rest was both political and cultural history.
After British pop star Charli XCX appeared to endorse Harris, writing “Kamala IS Brat” in July, the US Vice-President embraced the theme popularised by the mega-hit.
Generally, the hit song celebrated girlhood/womanhood, freedom, insecurity and relationships—all of which resonated with modern females.
“Brat” is the name of Charli’s sixth album, and the singer’s tweet hit nine million shares in just four hours.
Harris seemed to be on a winning streak in the lead-up to the just concluded US presidential election.
Add to Charli XCX the endorsements of super hot pop queens like Taylor Swift and Beyonce, and suddenly, the female vote bank of Harris threatened to become the political tsunami that was going to sweep Donald Trump into the dustbin of American history.
The prospect of Gen Z-ers, millennials and other young voters turning up in full force to prevent him from returning to the White House must have jolted Trump. How was he going to counter this Brat attack?
Newsweek magazine said his son Barron came to his rescue. It was 18-year-old Barron – his only son by Melania the third wife – who suggested to his father to tap into the “bro” universe to counter Harris’ Brat threat.
The magazine went so far as to say: “Key to Trump’s victory? The young men he courted with appearances on podcasts and livestreams hosted by influencers like Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Adin Ross and the Nelk Boys.
The same young men the Democrats thought were all talk and no bite.
Exit poll data show that men aged 18-29 – a group that’s typically disengaged politically – broke for the Republicans for the first time in the last four elections, decisively choosing Trump as their next president by a whopping 13-point margin.”
The Joe Rogan Experience, where Trump practically held court, lasted three hours and was viewed by five million people. Trump was, as expected, very comfortable in this kind of what has been described as the “manosphere”, the antithesis of Harris’ Brat world.
Many of these young are not normally Republicans. In fact, Rogan, who also invited Harris for his show – but she turned it down because they could not agree on the terms – endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary. For this election, he voted for Trump.
According to The Guardian, “Now more than ever, young men are at odds with more liberal young women.”
Initial exit polls in the presidential election showed young men preferred Trump 56% to 42% for Harris, while young women chose Harris 58% to 40% for Trump.
And here’s a crucial finding: These young men, particularly those without a college degree, have expressed feeling unfulfilled, dissatisfied with their jobs and lives, and desirous of a society and home life with traditional gender roles.
Even Trump’s son could see that this was a ready-made campaign support and voter pool all wrapped in one.
Singapore election when?
I am going to be proven wrong. But judging by what Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said, the general election may be next year.
Top of all issues is the cost of living. The extent of the problem cannot be judged and then addressed until Donald Trump is inaugurated on Jan 20, next year.
You just have to see who will be in his Administration and hear what he says he will do.
And then PM Wong will have to come up with the appropriate budget to slay the COL dragon.
March 2025?
Tan Bah Bah is a former senior leader writer with The Straits Times. He was also managing editor of a magazine publishing company
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)