Opinion: Why did so many men vote for Trump? He reminded them they matter.

Are men really necessary?

Based on last week's election results and exit polling, the answer is a resounding yes.

America needs a Republican duo like Donald Trump and JD Vance to right its course. I'm not the only one who thinks so.

A lot of Americans voted to reelect former President Trump in this election, nearly 75 million ‒ including myself. But the demographic who voted the most for Trump is men, including Latino men, white men and men without a college degree.

For decades, extremists on the political and social left has told America's men loudly and often that they are stupid, predatory and unnecessary.

Painted by influential progressives in higher education, the entertainment industry and the news media as ignorant, loathsome and incompetent, America's men had their revenge on Election Day.

They voted for Trump in huge numbers.

Latino men love Trump

One of the key data points in this election was the incredible surge of Latino men who voted for Trump this year, compared with 2020.

In 2020, Latino men voted for Joe Biden by a large margin, 59% to 36%. In this election, Latino men voted for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by 12 points, 55 to 43%. That's an amazing 19-point shift in favor of Trump in only four years.

In Texas, where Latinos make up 40% of the population, Trump's gains were even more startling. In Starr County, on the border with Mexico and with a mostly Latino population, voters moved to Trump by a stunning 76 percentage points from 2016.

Why did Latinos in Texas flock to Trump? It was in large part because of the chaos at the border that Biden and Harris first caused and then ignored.

Latinos who live in counties along the Texas-Mexico border turned out in large numbers for Trump, giving the Republican a near sweep in those areas. That is unprecedented, and it's a warning for any Democrat who might be tempted to ignore border problems again.

One of the predictable reactions among progressives and the news media to Trump's win is that it proves America is racist. In reality, Trump has brought a much more diverse group of voters into the Republican camp. The GOP nominee won more Asian, Black and Latino votes this year than previous GOP nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney.

How did Trump do it? He reached out to working-class voters of all ethnic and racial groups by emphasizing how the economy affects regular Americans, especially the high cost of food, rent and other necessities that has caused so many so much pain.

Even now, progressives are trying to ignore that reality.

ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, holding back tears on the air after the election, said: “It was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hardworking immigrants who make this country go, for health care ... for poor people, for the middle class ... for everyone who voted against him, and guess what − it was a bad night for everyone who voted for him, too, you just don’t realize it yet."

Kimmel obviously doesn't look at exit polling. Tens of millions of the people he listed − women, immigrants here legally and working-class and middle-class Americans − voted for Trump.

To them, Tuesday was not a "terrible" night; it was the beginning of a hope-filled future.

JD Vance spoke to American men

I voted for Trump based on policies, and with my nose turned up into the air a bit because I don't like his personality, character or legal woes.

But that's not how many men who voted for Trump look at him or Vice President-elect Vance.

Working-class men and women have been Trump's base for more than a decade. But even more of them voted for him this time around. About 56% of voters with no college degrees voted for Trump, up 6 points from 2020.

And men under age 45 went from voting for Biden by 7 percentage points in 2020 to supporting Trump by 6 points in 2024.

The Trump campaign knew their base. Appearing on Joe Rogan's podcast, which is especially popular with young men, for three hours late in the campaign was brilliant.

According to Axios, while Harris' interview on the podcast "Call Her Daddy" got 800,000 views, Trump got more than 46 million views on Rogan's show. Vance got over 15 million views when he appeared with Rogan shortly before Election Day.

Vance, the first millennial to be elected vice president, has in particular a strong appeal to many men. He's a gun-toting, bearded former Marine who's also highly educated and intelligent, and who appears to adore his wife and kids.

In Trump's America, men are necessary

For years, the phrase "toxic masculinity" took over discussions about men. Any success by men was discounted as a privilege of the patriarchy. The #MeToo movement presumed men guilty until proven innocent.

Men were told not so subtly to be quiet and to fade away. They were more dangerous than a bear in the woods. And less necessary than a fish with a bicycle.

The Harris campaign doubled down on this narrative, focusing on young women to the point of pandering. She hung out on "The View" and "Call Her Daddy," and snubbed Rogan's invitation to speak to the millions of young men who listen to his podcast.

Trump and Vance sent a very different message: Men, you belong. Men, we appreciate you. Men who are masculine, kind, hardworking and family-oriented. You are necessary and you are vital. We will work together to fix what's broken so the people we love are safe and thrive.

It's a message that men wanted and needed to hear. And they rewarded Trump and Vance with their votes.

If the economy is more equitable, the border more secure and the world a safer place four years from now, they're likely to again reward Vance or another Republican picked to succeed Trump.

And if our nation does make those gains in the years ahead, we can all thank the patriarchy for voting in Trump and Vance this year.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.