Assistant Director, Social, Cultural, Constitutional Studies @AEI | PhD Student @HistArthGMU | Wife | Rod Serling optimist, Hayao Miyazaki pessimist
Washington, DC
Joined December 2012
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I've accepted that I'm never going to "win" at Twitter because every time I'm tempted to send something into the void I imagine Yuval Levin's disappointed face
Nicole Penn retweeted
A big reason for congressional approval is that it forces an executive to make the case to the public: are we the people for this action, or are we not? – at Friendship Heights Village, MD
While I appreciate Senator Kennedy making this case on a podcast, if the president wants to go to war, he needs to make the case to the American people and convince them, through their elected representatives in Congress, to declare war.
If the stakes were as high as Sen. Kennedy claims, then it's even more terrible that Trump didn't make the effort. By refusing to go to the people, he guaranteed he'd lack support, and you can't succeed in a difficult conflict without the support of the American people.
And if you can't convince Congress, you can't start a war.
Nicole Penn retweeted
Texas: 20% of Republicans under 45 voted for Talarico (per Voter Poll). 9% among over 45.
In 2024, 10% of Democrats under 45 voted for Trump (per my CES analysis). 3% among over 45.
Welcome to the new normal: Younger generations are less firmly attached to partisanship.
Nicole Penn retweeted
"President Trump wanted voters to behave like he was on the ballot in the 2026 midterms, and he sure got his wish." Yuval Levin on the meaning of yesterday's historic midterms: nationalreview.com/corner/an…
Nicole Penn retweeted
Voters hate chaos. If you want a coherent theme from last night, AEI's @SeanTrende thinks that is it.
Read Trende's thoughtful analysis of key takeaways from the midterm results.
aei.org/commentary/a-nuclear…
"President Trump wanted voters to behave like he was on the ballot in the 2026 midterms, and he sure got his wish." Yuval Levin on the meaning of yesterday's historic midterms: nationalreview.com/corner/an…
Nicole Penn retweeted
For those trying to make sense of the swing among young men recall that more than half of "moderate" young men and 1/4! of "liberal" young men backed Trump in 2024. The last presidential election was not an ideological realignment it was deep disaffection w/ an unpoular administration.
Nicole Penn retweeted
Please spare a prayer for future historians tying to piece together the political situation in 2026.
Nicole Penn retweeted
Exit polls show that 65 percent of voters thought the trade war hurt the economy.
Nicole Penn retweeted
I wrote a quick take for the @washingtonsun. It is titled, "Fired."
washingtonsun.com/perspectiv…
Nicole Penn retweeted
Apropos of nothing, I have a book coming out in November about how much Americans hate chaos.
amazon.com/Normalcy-Paradox-…
Nicole Penn retweeted
Mask off
(the last shreds of it, anyway) nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/go…
Nicole Penn retweeted
Politics is not the cause of the gender rift, but it has made things worse. Young men have not become conservative so much as they have become politicially homeless.
While young men “might be drawn to an economic agenda that’s more Democratic, they have questions about whether they would be welcomed and wanted in the Democratic coalition,” said Daniel Cox.
nytimes.com/2026/11/02/upsho…
Nicole Penn retweeted
American voters have been seeking one thing above all others since at least 2014: change, writes AEI’s @ChrisStirewalt
thehill.com/homenews/analysi…
Nicole Penn retweeted
One of the things I note in Generation Uncoupled, but couldn't fully explore is the role of AI companions. It was still too early at the time to say much definitively.
New data suggests one of my fears has been borne out: Americans w/ fewer friends are using AI more often for therapy, friendship and romance. Stay tuned...
Nicole Penn retweeted
This afternoon, AEI’s @thomaschattwill will host Dr. Berkowitz to discuss the role of friendship in Hannah Arendt’s philosophy—and in our society today.
RSVP below.
aei.org/events/a-world-we-sh…
Nicole Penn retweeted
1. “the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption....
Dan and his team have poured so much careful research into this important book. If you want to understand the social, technological, and political transformations that explain why Gen Z men and women are uniquely struggling to relate to one another, read "Generation Uncoupled"!
It's out today!
I'll be sharing a lot more about Generation Uncoupled in the coming days. But for now, I just want to express my profound appreciation to all those involved in getting here. My research team at the Survey Center, AEI colleagues, my editor at Penguin Random House, the publicity team and the 100+ young people who were willing to share their thoughts and experiences on dating, politics, family and so much more.
I'm extraordinarily grateful. Read it here: penguinrandomhouse.com/books…
Nicole Penn retweeted
New newsletter: WHY AMERICANS STOPPED FALLING IN LOVE
An interview with @dcoxpolls on his new book, Generation Uncoupled, including the following facts, claims, and questions:
- the share of 40-year-olds who have never been married has quadrupled since 1980
- For all the viral essays about (surely, very real cases of!) educated people finding it harder to get together these days, the entire decline in marriage rates since 1990 have come from women without a college diploma
- According to one analysis of the General Social Survey, “most of the overall downturn [in American happiness] is attributable to decline in marriage post-2000"
- Men with larger social circles tend to have much more romantic success. But that’s only true for men! The number of close friends a woman has seems to have little bearing on her ability to go on dates.”
- "attention infidelity," or "the experience of [a partner who] disappears into their smartphone and leaves us, perhaps only for a moment, but in doing so they undermine a sense of trust and understanding that builds between two people who are sharing an experience"
