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Young Trump supporters have started turning dating apps into battlegrounds, opening with a bold, sometimes polarizing pickup line: ‘Hi, I’m MAGA.’
It’s called the ‘MAGA mating call,’ and it’s not exactly subtle.
So, we decided to try it.
Not because we’re rally-hopping, red-hat-wearing diehards – we’re not – but because as journalists, we were curious.
Dating in America today is a blood sport, and political identity is often treated as the ultimate dealbreaker.
To test a super direct dating strategy, two Daily Mail reporters matched with various New Yorkers – conservative, liberal, and apolitical – and initiated conversations with the same opening line: ‘Hi, I’m MAGA.’
One of our male reporters, Will Potter, matched with about 10 women on Hinge. In contrast, our female reporter, Alexa Cimino, matched with approximately 80 men on both Hinge and Bumble.
Will’s matches proved less than enthused by his Trump-inspired message, and Alexa’s turned out to be a completely baffling display of versatility.
Politics have become a point of contention among daters (Stock photo)
Will
On my end of the apps, women were not impressed.
Overall, around 10 women on Hinge received this direct opener after some form of prior matching, where either party initiated contact.
Some unmatched me immediately after I told them I was part of the MAGA movement. Other responses ranged from frustration and anger to sheer confusion.
One woman, a future lawyer, was especially offended that the message came from a Brit. She snapped back, ‘I’m about to give you a lesson British boy. We don’t joke about that in the states!!!’
On my end of the apps, women were not impressed. (Pictured: Will Potter)
It was about what I expected. According to 2024 data from Gallup, liberalism has grown more popular among young women over the past several decades. However, President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory shined a light on a rising population of conservative women in 2025.
Among the women who didn’t immediately nix our connection, one just wrote, ‘Ok???’
Another called it a ‘crazy opener.’
One girl from Brooklyn hit me with a deadpan, ‘Oh great.’
So I tried something else.
I followed up with Kamala Harris’ now-iconic coconut tree speech, the one where she says you ‘exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’
She approvingly responded, ‘Period.’
Among the women who didn’t immediately nix our connection, one just wrote, ‘Ok???’
Alexa
I was able to test this line out on a larger sample than my counterpart.
Overall, I sent the message to roughly 80 men across 2 apps after already matching with them in some way.
As the old saying goes, ‘Men pair widely, women pair wisely’ – so it wasn’t necessarily surprising to see the range of responses I received.
So while many of Will’s prospects fizzled fast, mine… didn’t.
I found my matches fell into six categories.
Overall, I sent the message to roughly 80 men across 2 apps after already matching with them in some way. (Pictured: Alexa Cimino)
The no-nonsense MAGA bachelors
Some of the men were all in. These were the ones whose profiles either openly declared their conservative views or strategically skipped politics altogether.
One man replied, ‘Thank God. I need a conservative woman in my life.’
Another introduced himself with, ‘Hello, MAGA. I’m America First,’ then later followed up with, ‘Hope you haven’t disappeared faster than that Ukrainian aid money.’
A third told me, ‘In that case, you’re also a dream come true.’
These guys were practically on one knee after a three-word, Trump-inspired opener.
The thirst responders
Then there were the men who didn’t care what I said, as long as they thought it might get them laid.
One kicked things off with a refined opener of, ‘Hi, you’re hot.’
Another skipped all pretense and asked, ‘Are you also coming over later too? Lol.’
A guy claiming to be in the FBI wrote, ‘I’m whatever you want me to be’.
These weren’t men engaging with an idea – they were yes-men: thirsty, eager, and willing to nod along to anything for a shot at getting in my pants.
It didn’t matter if I said I was MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene or Mussolini reincarnated – they just saw a woman and said yes.
One guy (bless him) took a softer approach than some, replying, ‘I’m not MAGA, but I think you’re really pretty.’
And another said, ‘You are making America great again looking that pretty haha.’
The ‘Sure, whatever’ crowd
While some men were confused, others were indifferent, but most just didn’t seem to care.
One person I matched with admitted, ‘It’s not a problem at all. I kind of like him too,’ with a laughing emoji.
Another guy said, ‘I don’t like some of his policies but I don’t really care haha.’
Another offered, ‘MAGA is cool. I don’t mind.’
They treated the statement like I’d just said I prefer oat milk, not that I support the most polarizing political figure in modern history. But it wasn’t open-mindedness, it was indifference.
One guy said he didn’t care about my political views at all, as long as I wasn’t into mainstream Bollywood – not exactly at the top of my personal dealbreaker list, but noted.
A surprising number of men parroted the call back like a strange mating ritual: ‘Hi MAGA, I’m [insert name here]’.
It wasn’t flirting, it was mirroring. Like they thought that by matching my tone, they could avoid actually saying anything real.
The overthinkers
I couldn’t believe how many political essays I received in response to a four-letter acronym.
Some matches felt compelled to submit their entire ideological manifesto before even saying hi.
One man launched into a TED Talk about how ‘both sides are corrupt,’ ultimately concluding he’d ‘rather Trump than anyone else.’
Meanwhile, another claimed he was an Iraqi Chaldean conservative who isn’t ‘really political’ right now because he’s focusing on ‘career and self development.’
The liars
This was the most revealing group. These were the guys whose profiles loudly declared their liberal values – or even mocked conservatives – and yet had no issue cozying up to a MAGA girl.
One guy had ‘liberal’ in his bio but still responded, ‘I support Trump too ;)’
Matt listed ‘Fox News is Cocomelon for adult men’ as his most controversial opinion, and then sent me ‘Hi MAGA, I’m Matt.’
When I told my guy friends about this, they weren’t surprised. In fact, they admitted they’d done the same.
‘Oh yeah,’ one said. ‘I’ve told girls I’m more liberal than I am just to get laid.’
The honest few
A few men held firm.
One asked, ‘Does that mean your jokes aren’t funny?’
And another said, ‘I’m a Biden supporter,’ and didn’t budge.
A few just said ‘Okay and???’ – clearly confused as to why I opened with politics at all.
Our findings
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the exercise was of the 80 conversations Alexa started with that three-word greeting, only one man unmatched her.
The interaction was quick, efficient, and honest. Upon seeing the phrase, he said, ‘My condolences,’ and swiftly unmatched Alexa on Bumble.
While many of the women Will matched with called it quits after the slogan was put to use, Alexa found a surprising number of men were willing to abandon their supposed values the second a woman with decent profile pictures and a hint of confidence slid into their DMs.
