GENERATIONAL DIVIDE: Journalist says 'Trump nostalgia' is resonating with a surprising age group

CHARLES: SO, DESPITE THE MEDIA CELEBRATING HARRIS' DEBATE VICTORY OVER DONALD TRUMP, REALLY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING NOT ON THE KEY ISSUES IN FACT THERE HAVE BEEN SURVEY AFTER SURVEY THAT SAYS NO, AND SO THE THING IS, WHAT IS IT THAT RESONATED WITH FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WITH THE FOLKS OUT THERE THAT DIDN'T RESONATE WITH THE EXPERTS? WE BROUGHT IN TWO EXPERTS OURSELVES. KENNEDY SAVES THE WORLD HOST KENNEDY AND NATIONAL REVIEW CAROLINE DOWNEY. KENNEDY, YOU KNOW -- >> HELLO. CHARLES: GREAT SEEING YOU. >> ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU CHARLES. CHARLES: THEY THOUGHT THESE, YOU KNOW, NUMBERS WERE GOING TO BE AMAZING AND THEN THE FOCUS GROUPS BE AMAZING AND EVERYONE HAS LEFT LIKE GOLLY. EVEN THE HARRIS CAMP IS LIKE LET'S HAVE ONE MORE. >> NONE OF WHAT DONALD TRUMP SAID WAS A SURPRISE TO ANY VOTER AT ALL WHATSOEVER. JOE BIDEN'S IMPLOSION IN THE DEBATE WAS KIND OF A SURPRISE. WE HAD SEEN HIM IN FEEBLE MOMENTS BUT IT TRULY WAS AN IMPLOSION, SO DONALD TRUMP, HE PLAYED HIS OWN HITS. SHE HAD A BETTER NIGHT THAN HE DID. EVERYONE CAN AGREE TO THAT, BUT THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO GET THE SAME THING OUT OF A CONVENTION FROM HER AND THEY DIDN'T. NEITHER CANDIDATE GOT A CONVENTION BOUNCE, NEITHER CANDIDATE WAS HELPED OR HARMED BY THE DEBATE WHICH JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT THIS RACE IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE CLOSEST WE'VE EVER SEEN. THE LAST THREE PRESIDENTIAL CONTESTS WE HAVE HAD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY CLOSE AND THIS IS NO DIFFERENT. CHARLES: CAROLINE ONE OF MY THEORIES IS THE RISE OF REALISM, AND I DO FEEL LIKE ONE PERSON LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE KEEPING IT REAL WHETHER YOU LIKE WHAT THEY SAID OR NOT AND THE OTHER PERSON SEEMED VERY REHEARSED AND LIKE NOT NECESSARILY KEEPING IT REAL. >> YES, I AGREE. I SAID AS MUCH ON KUDLOW LAST NIGHT THE DEBATE LIKELY ENDED IN A STALEMATE, BECAUSE FOR ALL OF KAMALA HARRIS' PRESENTATION AND DELIVERY, IT CAME OFF VERY INAUTHENTICND IT DID NOT HIT ALL OF THE VOTERS WITH THE ECONOMY AND IMMIGRATION. WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR FLOWERY STATEMENTS. CHARLES: ESPECIALLY IN A NITTY GRITTY WORLD WITH TWO MAJOR WARS, A RECESSION AROUND THE CORNER. YEAH, LET'S GET THE POLISH OFF. I WANT TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS AND HOW THIS WILL IMPACT THE ELECTION SO IN 2016 WHEN TRUMP WON THERE WERE 48 MILLION BABY BOOMERS AND JUST 34 MILLION MILLENIALS AND GEN Z. THIS TIME AROUND THERES ONLY 50 MILLION BABY BOOMERS AND 65 MILLION MILLENIALS AND GEN Z. IS THAT WHY THE TAYLOR SWIFT ENDORSEMENT WAS SO IMPORTANT? >> WELL SO IT MIGHT BE A PREMISE FROM THE GET-GO BECAUSE MILLENIALS AND GEN Z ARE DIFFERENT. THEY HAVE DIFFERENT ATTITUDES, DIFFERENT PROPENSITIES. THAT BEING SAID, THIS SHOWS YOUNG PEOPLE'S ENGAGEMENT IS UP, AND THAT CAN BE CONCERNING, BECAUSE THEY TEND TO LEAN LEFT; HOWEVER LIKE I JUST SAID, GEN Z AND MILLENIALS ARE STRUGGLING MORE THAN EVER WITH HOMEOWNERSHIP, WITH RISING COSTS, AND I THINK THE TRUMP NOSTALGIA IS STILL VERY STRONG AND THAT MAY AFFECT KAMALA HARRIS' WINNING DEMOGRAPHIC. CHARLES: THAT'S A GREAT POINT. YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE? GEN Z BOYS ARE CONSERVATIVE. I'VE GOT TWO TEENAGE GIRLS. GIRLS TEND TO BE MORE LIBERAL. THEY GET THEIR NEWS FROM TIKTOK BUT EVERY POLITICIAN FIGURED THAT OUT SO THERE ARE AS MANY RIGHT VOICES BUT THE RIGHT-LEANING STUFF ON TIKTOK TENDS TO GET MORE LIKES AND MORE VIEWS, AND THE ONLY WAY TO REALLY BE REVOLUTIONARY NOW IS TO RUN IN THE FACE OF, YOU KNOW, THIS CURRENT WISDOM WHICH IS YOUNG PEOPLE TEND TO SKEW LEFT AND BOYS ARE DOING THAT BY VOTING REPUBLICAN. CHARLES: I THINK YOUNG MEN ALSO SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL. THINGS ARE GETTING TOUGHER. >> IT'S A TOUGHER CLIMATE FOR THEM FOR SURE. >> A LOT OF OBSTACLES. CHARLES: I WANT TO PLAY A CLIP TO SETUP THE NEXT TOPIC. TAKE A LOOK. >> WHY WOULD IT BE BETWEEN THAT AND MOHAMMED? WHY DON'T YOU JUST PICK A COMMON NAME LIKE A NORMAL PERSON? >> IT'S THE MOST COMMON NAME ON EARTH. READ A BOOK FOR ONCE. CHARLES: [LAUGHTER] SO -- >> I LOVE THAT CLIP. CHARLES: YEAH, READ A BOOK FOR ONCE. 46% OF AMERICANS DIDN'T READ A BOOK LAST YEAR. KENNEDY DOES THAT SOUND HIGH, LOW, TO YOU? MAYBE IT'S AN ELECTION ISSUE. >> WELL MAYBE THEY AREN'T READING BOOKS A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE USING AUDIBLE AND OTHER APPS. CHARLES: YEAH. >> TO LISTEN TO BOOKS SO ARE THEY NOT PICKING UP A PHYSICAL BOOK AND READING IT? DOES THAT NOT MEAN THEY ARE CONSUMING ANYTHING? CHARLES: WELL CONSUMING TIKTOK VIDEOS IS DIFFERENT THAN A BOOK. >> YEAH, BUT IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO AN ENTIRE BOOK, WHILE RUNNING OR COMMUTING, I THINK -- CHARLES: PEOPLE ALWAYS READ BOOKS THOUGH I BELIEVE THE NUMBERS ARE UNDERSTATED. >> YES, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE, AND LET'S BE REAL. YES PEOPLE CONSUME CONTENT THROUGH OTHER MEDIA BUT IT'S A MENTAL EXERCISE TO READ AND I COVER EDUCATION AT NR, AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT'S DISAPPEARING FROM THE CLASSROOMS IS NOT JUST BOOKS, BUT CLASSIC BOOKS, LIKE THE ODYSSEY OF HOMER, ROMEO AND JULIET. WE'RE GOING TOWARDS THE YOUNG ADULT FICTION AND SOFTER, LESS-COMPELLING INTELLECTUAL LITTER RAIL ENTITLEMENT CENTROID LECTLITERATURE AND IT'C FOR SOCIETY. >> MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER IS A READER AND SHE'S READ 1984 AND IN THIRD GRADE SHE SNUCK HER SISTER'S COPY OF TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. CHARLES: THAT BOOK IN ABOUT TWO MONTHS COULD BE ILLEGAL. RETROACTIVELY. >> IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE SHOCKING. CHARLES: YEAH. LET'S GO FROM NOT READING. THIS IS REALLY AMAZING SO APPARENTLY DUMB PHONES AND FAX MACHINES ARE THE NEW THING. >> SO IT USED TO BE THE ULTIMATE DISCIPLINE TOOL THE PARENTS HAD LIKE I'M GOING TO GET YOU A FLIP PHONE BUT NOW THEY ARE KIND OF COOL. KIDS ARE GOING OUT AND BUYING VINYL RECORDS, INSTEAD OF GOING TO SPOTIFY FOR MUSIC. THEY LIKE, YOU KNOW, PHYSICAL TACTILE THINGS, AND IT'S ACTUALLY PRETTY COOL TO HAVE CORDED HEADPHONES, AND A DUMB PHONE. CHARLES: CAROLINE I GOT THIS PHONE YESTERDAY. MY OFFICE ORDERED IT. THIS BAD BOY WEIGHS 48 POUNDS. I CAN'T PUT IT IN MY BACK POCKET. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. I SHOULD HAVE REGISTERED IT AS A WEAPON SO I'LL TURN IT IN FOR A DUMB PHONE. >> CHARLES, THINK ABOUT IT . THAT IS BASICALLY A MINICOMPUTER SO WITH A SMARTPHONE RATHER THAN A DUMB LITTLE NOKIA WHICH I KIND OF WANT A FLIP PHONE YOU'RE INUNDATED WITH STIMULI ON THAT THING DAY IN DAY OUT FROM SOCIAL MEDIA, FROM YOUTUBE. IT'S REALLY DISTRACTING AND I THINK MAYBE BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS ACTUALLY JUST WANT SOMETHING SIMPLE TO COMMUNICATE IN A VERY BASIC WAY. CHARLES: AND A FAX MACHINE.