ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
President Trump and Elon Musk's relationship may be over, but Musk is not leaving politics. Instead, with his eyes on the midterm elections, Musk says he's starting a new political party. It could appeal to a key group Trump made gains with last fall - young voters, especially young men. NPR political reporter Elena Moore is here to talk about what this could mean for Trump's support inside the manosphere (ph). Hey, Elena.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Hey, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Musk calls his new group the America Party. He says voters want a middle ground option. Obviously, this is still taking shape. It's early days. Why zero in on its potential appeal to young men specifically?
MOORE: Well, two things - you know, third parties have traditionally taken away votes from major party candidates in close races, and Republicans are gearing up for next year's midterms, where the party in power does traditionally lose seats. So they're already on the defense. Plus, men under 30 are a really valuable group for the party to hold onto. They were a key part of Trump's win last fall, shifting right by 12 points compared to 2020. They're also just not reliable Republican voters. Recent polling from the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute found that young men are uniquely critical of both political parties. Dan Cox led that research.
DAN COX: Musk coming in at this time is very interesting. And young men, in particular, have been disillusioned, not only by both parties but just by (ph) the entire political process in general.
MOORE: And he told me, you know, while he's unsure about whether Musk's party will attract these voters, there's a huge opportunity to just engage with them.
SHAPIRO: Is that feeling of dissatisfaction Cox is talking about unique to young men?
MOORE: I mean, no. I mean, it's more generational. Over the past few years, regardless of gender or political party, young people have been telling me that they're motivated to vote because of the issues they care about, not a candidate's party. I talked to Rachel Janfaza about this. She runs The Up and Up, which is a media and strategy firm focused on Gen Z. She says there may actually be an appetite for third-party candidates across this generation. But when talking specifically about Musk, he actually may have more pull with some young men, you know, who may be more socially liberal but felt seen by Trump last year and voted for him because of issues like the economy.
RACHEL JANFAZA: They're not Republicans. They just happened to vote for Trump because he was speaking their language. He was making an effort to connect with them.
SHAPIRO: is there any reason to think these voters are ready to split with Trump's GOP and side with Musk if he is able to establish this third party?
MOORE: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to say. Janfaza says in her research, young men have expressed support for Musk and his political trajectory. At the same time, though, this group is a bit of a political question mark, and it's far from a monolith. Yes, they shifted right, but, you know, many haven't formed political allegiances yet. And for those who have, some are also just not on board with Musk's decision to break from Trump. Nineteen-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand chairs the Republican Party's Youth Advisory Council.
BRILYN HOLLYHAND: I spoke on 26 college campuses on behalf of the campaign. At no point did a single college student walk up to me and say, I'm voting for Donald Trump because of Elon Musk. And I don't think they won't support our party simply because he's not a part of it anymore.
SHAPIRO: You mentioned that third parties were often unsuccessful. Is Musk's effort doomed from the outset?
MOORE: I mean, well, Musk was a major force for Trump's campaign last year, but he doesn't have a great track record outside of that. This past spring, he spent big on a Wisconsin state Supreme Court race, but his preferred candidate lost. Plus, Musk's potential with young voters may just be with a fraction of them. The most recent Harvard Youth Poll found that while men under 30 still approve of Musk at higher rates than young women do, majorities still disapprove. So Ari, it's safe to say he is still a very divisive figure.
SHAPIRO: That's NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thank you.
MOORE: Thanks.
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