The chip shop diva, Blanksheet Playa and a 23-year-old explains why they voted for Trump
Do keep up!
But first, let’s catch you up…
Going viral
The chip shop diva, aka 20-year-old Destiny Harolld, who’s captivated the internet with her unbothered attitude while serving fish and chips in a TikTok posted by her employer.
Country singer Zach Bryan after his messy break up with Barstool Sports podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia. He’s been accused of emotional abuse as well as trying to buy her silence. Brady Bates proved he was an ally when he posted his contribution to the discourse…
Cam Bynum’s Raygun celebration dance
False election fraud claims from… liberals
Nicole Scherzinger for admiring a MAGA-style Jesus hat worn by a washed-up comedian who’s being investigated for sex crimes and then apologising. She became a meme anyway.
Side note:
had a very good take on how silly and problematic backlash about an artist’s political beliefs can be. Read that here.So hot right now
Blanksheet Playa… and his wholesome dating advice for the boys that’s blowing up on TikTok
Lookalike contests… First it was Timothée Chalamet and now it’s Paul Mescal, Harry Styles and Dev Patel. Please make it stop.
Gift guides… is it the law that every Substack has to have one?
Trends, trends and even more trends
A little language lesson this week…
Based… used frequently by online politicos as a shortened version of “based in fact”. It’s often used at the end of a statement to double down on a “truth”, for example, “The chip shop diva is an icon. Based”.
Cooked… means that something is done, finished or been owned. Often used negatively, for example, “Nicole Scherzinger is cooked with the theatre kid libs after that comment”.
Lock in… is not new but I’m hearing it more frequently. Often used as a substitute for focus. This poreless, well-lit student isn’t happy that he can’t do it…
A Gen Z Trump voter explains what swayed them
One of the biggest headlines coming out of last week’s U.S. election results was Gen Z’s swing towards Donald Trump and the Republicans. While the majority of under 30s (54 per cent) supported Kamala Harris and the Democrats, Trump managed to increase his share of young voters compared to the 2020 election.
It was most pronounced amongst young men. AP’s exit polling data revealed that 56 per cent went for Trump compared with 41 per cent in the last election. He also gained ground with young women going from a 33 per cent share to 40 per cent.
So what changed, and what does it tell us about Gen Z?
I spoke with a 23-year-old white man from Colorado, who asked not to be named, to find out why he voted for Trump. The consultant, who lives in Denver, outlined the seven issues that influenced his vote.
A rejection of the progressive agenda
He was voting for the Republicans but he was also voting against the current administration because of their focus on minorities. “They are so progressive and they care so much about people who don’t even make up one per cent of the population,” he said.
Backlash to “woke”
He felt that identity politics had been “shoved down his throat” and that a sustained “progressive woke push” by the Democrats was filtering to all parts of society.
He felt his professors at the University of Arizona were so progressive he would avoid taking a conservative perspective in assignments. He said: “I would write stuff in school in a more progressive way so my grade wouldn't be docked and that was a common thing amongst my friends in college.”
He believes meritocracy has been eroded because of experiences within his friend group. He said: “I'm all for diversity, equity and inclusion but I have a really good friend who is one of the top kids graduating in his pre-med program, top one per cent. But as a white, straight male, he only got accepted to one medical school. The women and minorities [in his class] got into Yale and other top medical schools even though he outperformed them.”
Trump’s “a dick” but authentic
He thinks Trump is “a little bit more truthful” than liberals who “dance around”. But he’s aware of his faults, saying: “I don’t think he portrays the things he says in the best manner. I think he’s a dick. I don't think he's necessarily the best person of all time, but also he doesn't put a facçade on.”
Strongman Trump sat in stark contrast to Harris
He said: “Trump rules through power. And [since he’s been elected] the biggest powers in the world are on their knees wanting to be best friends with us [America].”
Meanwhile Harris didn’t convince him of her competence. “I personally don't think she knows at all what she's doing.”
JD Vance and Elon Musk upgraded Trump’s ticket
“A lot of the younger men who voted Republican are super excited for JD Vance,” he said. “He's strong, he's younger, he's smart. He’s a little more political than Trump and can speak a little more eloquently on certain matters.”
Elon Musk is even more of a draw. He said: “He's a very successful came-from-nothing person. He is the essence of the American dream. He started PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla and he's also for free speech.”
Harris’ economic plan was about “freebies”
He thought there was too much “hand holding” in Harris’ policies, saying: “You look at Kamala ads and it’s all free shit. I’ll give you 25,000 for your first house, 6,000 for your first baby.”
Immigration is out of control
His own experience of living in Denver left him feeling that the border had been mismanaged under Biden. He said: “The influx of people over the last year and a half is crazy. Like hundreds of thousands of migrants and we're paying for them to live in hotels.”
He added: “The border should be closed.”
Young people’s embrace of progressive ideas has long been overstated but this election’s results should finally put that myth to bed. How culture responds to this new reality will be fascinating. Can anything unite these polarised groups? Or do left and right retreat further into their own bubbles?
The next presidential election offers to be just as revealing as a whole new generation will be eligible to vote. The oldest Alphas turn 18 in 2028 and it’ll be the first time they can influence the outcome. Buckle up!
✨Callback corner✨
Gracie Abrams’ track That’s So True has exploded 10x since I flagged her hotness a couple of posts ago. The fact the song has sparked not one, not two but three TikTok trends is wild. And this graph from Chartmetric shows what that’s done to her Spotify streams…
I love hate to gloat but I told you nearly three weeks ago that “Trump’s secret weapon is his Gen Z son”. Now The Wall Street Journal, The Cut and others are flagging Barron Trump’s role in his Dad’s successful campaign.
This week I’ve been…
OBSESSED WITH:
The Molly Rutter drama on TikTok
Hawk Tuah Girl’s boyfriend reveal
The pop girlies absolutely owning 2025’s Grammy nominations
Pookie and Jett having a baby girl
The savvy strategy deployed by the Polymarket gambler who won $50 million by accurately predicting the U.S. election
Porn star Lily Phillips’ enduring commitment to going viral
Kai Trump, 17, entering her YouTube vlogging era just as her grandfather won the U.S. election
READING:
The disturbing look at how “adolescence for many girls is being molded by platforms that value — and monetize — attention from men who are sexually interested in minors” in The New York Times’ profile of Jacky Dejo (gift link)
A new era dawns. America’s tech bros now strut their stuff in the corridors of power from Carole Cadwalladr in The Guardian
The music executive all the sad girls want from the Financial Times
WATCHING: Paddington in Peru. It was so disappointingly mid. I do not recommend.
BUYING: This cosy AF cashmere turtleneck from Cos
highly flammable is produced and written by Rachel Richardson
She’s a content creator, commentator and consultant at Beginning, Middle and End
Want more? Check out Threads, Twitter/X and Instagram
Email rr@bmend.com
That isn’t where ‘based’ comes from - it’s ~2010-era imageboard language.
“A word used when you agree with something; or when you want to recognize someone for being themselves, i.e. courageous and unique or not caring what others think. Especially common in online political slang.”
As someone who loved TikTok dearly but had to delete it because they loved it a bit too much-- I appreciate this. I mean, I can't believe I didn't know Pookie had a daughter!