Australians think Donald Trump’s return will be a disaster – but millennial men disagree

Written by Tom Minear for the Herald Sun

The “bro vote” that powered Donald Trump to victory over Kamala Harris is also a factor in Australia, with new polling showing millennial men are far more likely to have a positive view of the President-elect.

The Talbot Mills Research poll, conducted in the week after the former president’s stunning US election victory, found 45 per cent of Australians thought his return to power would be a disaster and just 23 per cent believed he would be a good president.

Among men aged 30 to 44, however, 43 per cent said the Republican would be a good president, double the number who believed his second term would be a disaster.

Fewer than one in five women surveyed thought Mr Trump would be a good president.

The poll also found 36 per cent of Australian men believed Mr Trump’s presidency would have a positive impact on Australia – more than the 34 per cent who thought it would have a negative effect – while just 23 per cent of women were similarly optimistic.

Talbot Mills Research director David Talbot said this was consistent with his pre-election polling that found Mr Trump’s support was “strongest with young Australian men”.

The 78 year old successfully targeted young men – who are typically less likely to vote in America’s voluntary elections – by appearing on podcasts including The Joe Rogan Experience, the country’s most popular podcast with an overwhelmingly male audience.

The strategy sharpened the gender divide as the majority of women voted for Ms Harris, who made restoring reproductive rights a centrepiece of her campaign.

Mr Talbot said Australians appeared to be “wary in the aftermath of Trump’s win, particularly when it comes to trade and international security”, with those surveyed believing his return was more likely to lead to Russia’s victory over Ukraine and less likely to enable co-operation on climate change.