International
Harris vs Trump: the battle for the young male vote and the debate on masculinity
The US elections could be decided in an unexpected struggle to attract the male voter of Generation Z, where Donald Trump has eroded Democratic domination over young people while Kamala Harris offers a new model of masculinity, closer to empathy and equality.
The former Republican president (2017-2021) courts those voters by appearing in popular podcasts among Generation Z (born from 1997), while the Democratic vice president tries to position herself as a strong leader, relying on a new model of masculinity championed by her running mate, the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz.
This battle reveals a deeper debate between the different conceptions of masculinity that prevail in the Democratic and Republican parties and how they resonate among young people.
Trump’s hypermasculinity
Trump’s campaign embraces a kind of hypermasculinity that reached its maximum expression at the republican convention in Milwaukee, where the former fighter Hulk Hogan tore off his shirt live and the former president himself went on stage to the rhythm of ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ by James Brown.
At every rally, Trump projects the image of a tough leader. When in July in Pennsylvania a man tried to kill him, he got up after a few minutes crouched and, with a bloody face, raised his fist in front of the American flag, shouting “Fight, fight, fight!”.
Its objective, University of Michigan professor Aaron Kall explains to EFE, is to seduce young voters without university studies and who feel less affinity with democratic ideas than previous generations.
Therefore, Trump has chosen as a running mate the Ohio senator, J.D. Vance, the first member of the ‘millennial’ generation (born between 1981 and 1996) to be part of the commitment of a great party for the White House.
However, in their eagerness to attract the male electorate, both are pushing women away, enthusiastic about the possibility of a woman arriving at the White House for the first time.
For years, Trump has been accused of abuse by dozens of women and this same year a jury found him guilty of abusing columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996. Nor do some comments that Vance made in 2021, when he referred to women without children as “lady spinsters with cats” help him either.
Harris’ proposal: a new masculinity
Harris is doing everything possible to mobilize the female vote with the promise of protecting the right to abortion, legal for half a century until in June 2022 the Supreme Court annulled the ‘Roe vs Wade’ ruling.
In addition, to counter that narrative of Trump’s “strong man”, Harris’ campaign has presented its own masculinity alternative: men capable of leading with empathy and comfortable in the background next to a powerful woman.
This image is embodied by the second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who left his job as a lawyer when Harris became vice president, and especially Walz, who represents that renewed masculinity, as Georgetown professor Michael Cornfield explains to EFE.
Nicknamed “trainer Walz” for his experience in American football, Walz has 24 years of service in the National Guard and projects the image of a simple man from the crucial Midwest, appearing in rallies with a flannel shirt and mountain boots.
In his election debut with Harris, on August 6, Walz greeted the vice president by putting her palms together at chest height, showing a deference that enhanced Harris’ aura of leadership.
“Walz is the gateway for those men who feel uncomfortable accepting the possibility that a woman could be a commander-in-chief. It shows that real men can take a back seat with strong and capable women,” Cornfield explains.
The biggest gender gap in history
According to Lanae Erickson, former Barack Obama’s advisor (2009-2017), these differences between the candidates anticipate that in the November 5 elections there will be the largest “gender gap” in the recent history of the United States, that is, the largest difference ever recorded between the percentage of women and men who vote for one or another applicant.
“There is unprecedented enthusiasm for Harris among women. On the other hand, men, especially young people who vote for the first time, are turning to Trump,” says Erickson.
A recent survey by ABC and Ipsos reveals that the gender gap could reach 18 points, surpassing 12 points in 2020 and 11 in 2016.
Specifically, Harris is 13-point advantage of Trump among women, while Trump surpasses Harris by 5 points among men, an unprecedented phenomenon in American politics.
International
Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez sued in Florida over alleged kidnapping, torture and terrorism
U.S. citizens have revived a lawsuit in Miami against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following his capture, as well as against Vice President and now acting leader Delcy Rodríguez and other senior Chavista officials, whom they accuse of kidnapping, torture, and terrorism.
The plaintiffs — including U.S. citizens who were kidnapped in Venezuela and two minors — filed a motion over the weekend before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida asking the court to declare the defendants in default for failing to respond to the lawsuit initially filed on August 14, 2025, according to court documents made public on Monday.
The case, assigned to Judge Darrin P. Gayles, accuses the Venezuelan leaders of violating the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), the Florida Anti-Terrorism Act, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
In addition to Maduro and Rodríguez, the lawsuit names Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López; Attorney General Tarek William Saab; Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Maikel Moreno; and National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez.
The complaint also lists the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and former Electricity Minister Néstor Reverol as defendants.
According to the filing, Maduro “committed flagrant acts of terrorism against U.S. citizens,” citing the criminal case in New York in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in court for the first time on Monday following their arrest on Saturday.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs “were held captive by Maduro” with “illegal material support” from the other defendants, whom it identifies as members of the Cartel of the Suns, a group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization last year.
International
U.S. faces worst flu season in decades as new strain spreads nationwide
The flu continues to take a heavy toll across the United States, with all but four states reporting high or very high levels of activity as a new viral strain known as subclade K continues to spread.
According to another key indicator — doctor visits for fever accompanied by cough or sore throat, common flu symptoms — the U.S. is experiencing its highest level of respiratory illness since at least the 1997–98 flu season, based on data released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“This is definitely a standout year,” said Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s the worst we’ve seen in at least 20 years. Most of the country is experiencing very high levels of activity, and we are still near the peak.”
Rivers noted that it is unusual to see such a severe flu season following another poor season the previous year, as intense seasons typically do not occur back to back.
Nationwide, approximately 8.2% of doctor visits during the final week of the year were for flu-like symptoms. At the same point last season — which was also severe — that figure stood at 6.7%.
In Massachusetts, where flu activity is reported as very high, health officials urged residents to get vaccinated.
“This is a moment for clarity, urgency, and action,” said Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of Public Health, in a press release. “These viruses are serious, dangerous, and potentially deadly. We are seeing critically ill children, families grieving devastating losses, and hospitals under strain due to capacity.”
International
U.S. Energy Secretary to meet oil executives on reviving Venezuela’s crude industry
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is set to meet this week with executives from the American oil industry to discuss how to revive Venezuela’s crude oil sector, according to multiple media reports.
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of an energy conference organized by investment banking group Goldman Sachs in Miami.
Senior executives from major U.S. oil companies, including Chevron and ConocoPhillips, are expected to attend the symposium.
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at 300 to 303 billion barrels, representing roughly one-fifth of known global reserves.
Following the controversial operation carried out on Saturday to detain Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, U.S. President Donald Trump has placed renewed emphasis on control over and exploitation of Venezuela’s vast oil resources.
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