Former President Donald Trump recently hosted the “Nelk Boys” on his plane and praised the creators—who recorded a litany of off-color pro-Trump pranks, including pretending to sell dog meat—as “stars,” another foray into the world of YouTubers and podcasters as he seeks to boost support among young male voters.

Kyle Forgeard — a 2022 member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 social media class — is a leader of the “Nelk Boys” content and merchandise business, and he narrates his support of the former president throughout the recent video. The group is also known to stir controversy, with YouTube removing their ability to make money from videos on the platform after they hosted filmed parties during the pandemic, according to The New York Times. As their popularity grew, the group developed a rapport with Trump after first meeting him in 2020 through UFC’s White. In 2022, Trump said in an interview with the group the Nelk Boys are the “press now.” Today, they’re outright supporters of Trump, with Forgeard saying in the October podcast episode Trump is the only solution to today’s problems. Forgeard has also spoken at Trump rallies, seemingly started a get-out-the-vote campaign through videos and hosted events featuring artists like Waka Flocka Flame. As they urge people to vote, the group also publishes videos supporting Trump, such as the Tuesday video, which showed a clear moment of advocacy, like Trump looking into the camera saying, “I’ll say that to the Nelk Boys, if [Kamala] wins, the country is finished.” Today, the group has nearly 20 million followers across social media platforms. The “Nelk Boys” “have a unique connection with their audience, and their audience trusts them,” Alex Bruesewitz, a campaign advisor to Trump, told Forbes in an email statement, calling them longtime “allies.”

Trump’s campaign strategy in the final stretch of the 2024 election has focused partly on reaching young male voters, a demographic identified by the Trump campaign as an antidote to Harris’ strength among young female voters. Historical data shows that men under 24 years old have tended to be less likely to vote compared to women in the same age group, Politico notes, citing a Rutgers study. So far, Trump has engaged in nearly a dozen internet shows or podcasts popular among this voter bloc, often making headlines for viral clips that draw mockery from Trump’s opponents—and praise from his supporters. The interviews often allow him to appear friendly without journalistic fact-checking or tough policy connections.

In a debate against Harris in early September, Trump falsely said Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating dogs and cats. The belief stems from misinformation shared across the internet. Trump has since repeated the statement.