Donald Trump gained the 2024 election — and the favored vote — final November by turning out Republican voters and constructing a extra numerous coalition than different Republican presidential candidates in years previous.
He additionally improved his efficiency with youthful voters, a demographic Democrats have lengthy dominated. That was thanks largely to outreach on social media platforms and in communities focused with the assistance of distinguished personalities like Charlie Kirk.
“We crushed the youth vote, even Democrats acknowledge it,” Kirk mentioned at an look this yr on the Cambridge Union in the UK. “Each younger males and younger girls moved to the proper dramatically.”
John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard Kennedy College’s Institute of Politics, who has studied younger voters, mentioned Kirk’s group’s largest success got here with getting Trump and different GOP leaders to purchase into his imaginative and prescient.
“Donald Trump is just not president at this time with out the help of younger males, and Charlie Kirk deserves and deserved credit score not only for organizing younger males however persuading an older technology to hear and to speculate,” he informed ABC Information.
Kirk’s identify was ubiquitous in focus teams with younger voters, he added.
On this March 22, 2018, file photograph, President Donald Trump shakes arms with Charlie Kirk, Founder and Government Director of Turning Level USA, throughout a panel dialogue on the Technology Subsequent Summit within the South Courtroom Auditorium of the Eisenhower Government Workplace Constructing on the White Home advanced in Washington, D.C.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Put up through Getty Photographs, FILE
“Individuals acknowledged that he was in a position to show a component of power and masculinity in contrast to others and what they admire was that regardless that many do not agree together with his positions or rhetoric, they offer him credit score for displaying up and taking questions and free speech,” Della Volpe mentioned.
Kirk expanded on his technique in an interview with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, final March.
“Proper round 2021 we had a aim: might we transfer the youth vote ten factors over ten years?” Kirk informed Newsom on the primary episode of the governor’s new podcast. “We believed Democrats have been taking them without any consideration … President Trump harmonized with the technique by happening podcasts, happening TikTok.”
U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk seems at a Utah Valley College talking occasion in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 10, 2025.
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune through Reuters
Within the final 5 presidential elections, Democrats have gained the White Home once they captured not less than 60% of younger voters — a benchmark Kamala Harris failed to fulfill, profitable 54% of voters underneath 30 years previous, in comparison with Trump’s 43%.
“When Democrats win 60% of the youth vote, they win elections,” Della Volpe mentioned. “The job of a Republican is to lower that margin.”
In accordance with ABC Information exit polling, Trump carried out higher with voters underneath 30 — profitable 43% to Harris’ 54% — than any Republican presidential candidate since 2004, when George W. Bush gained 45% of voters underneath 30.
Trump drew even with Harris with males underneath 30 (49% to her 48%), an 8-point enchancment from the 2020 presidential election.
Harris gained 61% of younger girls, in comparison with Trump’s 38%.
Charlie Kirk, founder and govt director of Turning Level USA, speaks throughout a Turning Level PAC city corridor at Dream Metropolis Church, June 6, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Photographs
In the important thing swing state of Michigan, Trump gained 50% of younger voters, in comparison with 47% for Harris. In Wisconsin, he gained 48% of these voters, in comparison with 49% for Harris; In Pennsylvania, he gained 44% of younger voters vote in comparison with her 55%.
In these three “Blue Wall” states that Trump flipped in 2024, he improved on his 2020 efficiency with voters underneath 30 by 9-13 factors, relying on the state, in accordance with ABC Information exit polling.
Nationally, Trump additionally gained 57% of younger white males with out faculty levels, in comparison with 40% for Harris.
Within the Solar Belt swing state of Arizona, Kirk’s residence state, Harris managed to win 65% of voters underneath 30. However Democrats misplaced floor with Latino voters and different teams of voters Republicans have been in a position to inspire, giving Trump the sting.
That will have additionally been partially as a result of Kirk’s efforts as an organizer.
Regardless of his embrace of false stolen-election claims in 2020, and after GOP candidates have been shut out of statewide workplace in Arizona in 2022, Kirk and his group established a “Poll Chasers” program in 2024.
Turning Level USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks throughout a marketing campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump at Desert Diamond Enviornment, August 23, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Photographs
It was a $100-plus million effort to achieve and mobilize a whole lot of 1000’s of low-propensity Trump supporters in battleground states like Arizona and Wisconsin, and get them to vote early and doubtlessly by mail, regardless of Trump’s public misgivings about mail-in voting.
It was certainly one of many exterior applications that successfully made up the Trump marketing campaign’s outsourced floor sport.
“I am undecided he moved lots of people, however he organized lots of people who shared his views,” Della Volpe mentioned.
Republicans debated the share of credit score Kirk’s “Turning Level USA” deserved for its contributions to the bigger effort — however Trump and his marketing campaign credited Kirk and his group’s work for pushing them to victory final yr.
“Charlie Kirk will inform you, TikTok helped, however Charlie Kirk helped additionally,” Trump mentioned on the White Home in Might about Kirk’s contributions to his profitable marketing campaign. “He is accomplished nice, and I admire all the assistance.”
