BOSTON — Dave Portnoy, the outspoken founder of Barstool Sports and viral “One Bite” pizza reviewer, shared a candid video explaining why he—and, he argues, millions of other Americans—voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. In an impromptu, late-night rant posted on social media, Portnoy criticized the Democratic Party’s approach, saying it left moderates and independents feeling as though they had no alternative but to support Trump.
Portnoy pointed to what he called the Democrats’ “arrogance” and “moral superiority” as central reasons for Trump’s victory. According to him, the Democratic campaign leaned too heavily on portraying Trump as a threat to democracy, without offering a compelling policy platform or solutions to the issues voters care about.
“The Democrats gave us no choice,” Portnoy said, expressing frustration at what he saw as the party’s reliance on fear tactics. “Their entire campaign was ‘Trump is Hitler, Trump is a dictator.’” He argued that Democrats’ messaging, which he felt insulted and dismissed Trump supporters as “racists” or “Nazis,” only served to alienate undecided voters. “When you call us that, you’re calling the majority of the country racist, Hitlers, Nazis,” Portnoy said. “You are alienating all this middle ground people by acting like you’re better than us, smarter than us, and frankly, insulting our intelligence.”
Portnoy, who has often described himself as politically independent, criticized the Democrats for what he perceived as their unwillingness to address core issues like the economy, inflation, and border security. He claimed the party ignored concerns about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness and then promoted Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s successor without sufficiently explaining her policy positions or how she differed from Biden.
Portnoy also highlighted low turnout from key Democratic voting blocs, including Black and Hispanic voters, as evidence of a disconnect between the party and its traditional base. “The black vote didn’t come out for Kamala,” he noted, suggesting that the Democrats’ campaign strategy failed to resonate beyond their core supporters.
Summing up his perspective, Portnoy called the 2024 election results a “ringing endorsement for the Republicans” and a “ringing indictment against the Democrats,” and urged Democratic leaders to rethink their approach. He suggested the party’s strategy had backfired, ultimately pushing more Americans toward Trump.
