The Gen Z Whisperer on How Democrats Can Win the Midterms

Adam Mockler is the Energizer Bunny of liberal debate bros. When he’s not getting into it with CNN personality Scott Jennings, the 23-year-old hosts the podcast The Adam Mockler Show and runs a popular YouTube channel . And following Donald Trump’s success with young men in 2024, he has carved out a niche for himself as a Gen Z whisperer.

Mockler’s kind of a funny guy. If you squint and look at him one way, he seems like a moderate, but look at him from another angle, and he seems super progressive. In a way, he’s a bit of both. He wants a big tent for the Democrats. And for these midterms, as Gen Z voters are starting to sour on Trump, he’s getting one.

His first order of business: reframing the party’s messaging. In 2024, he said, young people fell for a “Trump vision of the country that the Democrats didn’t have, these big, bold ideas: Drill, baby, drill . Build the wall. ” Kamala Harris’ messaging, on the other hand, was harder to follow. “Her policy was: ‘If you are a homebuyer under the age of 25 and you live in a certain area, you may be qualified for a $23,000 tax deduction, but only if you live in x, y, and z states,’ ” Mockler said. “It’s like: Wait a minute, you’re starting to lose me on the nitty-gritty of this .”

On a recent episode of What Next, host Mary Harris spoke to Mockler about the role of nuance in viral debate videos and what it would take for Democrats to win the zoomers. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Mary Harris: I think of you as a photo negative of Charlie Kirk. You’re both from the Midwest, you both dropped out of college, and you both have built these political media empires. In the 2024 election, Gen Z—especially Gen Z men—had a real impact. As you’re out there talking with people in your generation, are you seeing younger voters sour on Donald Trump?

Adam Mockler: Younger voters absolutely are souring on Trump. Now, I need to provide some context as to how younger voters view the 2024 election. A lot of young people weren’t paying attention to the first Trump administration. I was in middle school and near the beginning of high school when he was first president. Most young people were not super locked in during those years to what was happening in the White House.

It was like a vibe. Most young people’s vibe of that time was, “Hey, summer 2017, summer 2018 was a good time. I don’t remember things being expensive because my parents were paying for things. That seemed like a good time, right?” So when Trump began to run in 2023 and ’24, he was able to capitalize on the fact that many young people didn’t see what he was like as an executive. He was able to say: “No new wars, I’m going to fix the economy on Day 1, I’m going to do this, this, and this.” He came with these bold ideas and somehow was able to paint himself as a change agent coming from the outside. That’s not true. He had four years in the White House. He’s a billionaire. He’s not an outsider. But young people, unfortunately, seem to have fallen for that bit.

So when it comes to the economy and war, we’re seeing in real time that he’s doing the opposite. He’s not just somebody who’s starting new wars.