Chapter 12: The exaltation of masculinity

On September 6, Donald Trump surprised everyone by changing the name of the United States Department of Defense. It was too “woke,” he explained to the media before signing the executive order that renamed it the Department of War. “I think it sends a message of victory. I think it sends a message of strength. […] This is a very important change, because it’s an attitude," he added.

Throughout the announcement, the president was accompanied by Pete Hegseth, his secretary of defense — now secretary of war. Dressed, as usual, with a U.S. flag pocket square, Hegseth was one of the most pleased with the measure. Since January, he has worked to implement what Trump calls a “change in attitude” through a campaign to push masculinity in the U.S. military: women were removed from most high-ranking positions they held, a special commission was created to eliminate diversity and equality programs, and a new philosophy is being promoted, focused on restoring the “warrior ethos.”

The effects of this shift have also been visible in other parts of the U.S. government. During the last Super Bowl, the Secret Service released a recruitment ad. The spot begins by praising the strength and combat capability of the United States throughout history. It showed men fighting on the front lines and women in factories preparing the materials needed for war. Men were the stars.

The move to project a more masculine identity is not limited to the military world; it also permeates the everyday. For example, when the Los Angeles Dodgers came back to win Game 7 of the World Series, Trump posted a congratulatory message on social media highlighting the team’s masculinity: “A lesser group of men would never have been able to win that game.”

At a historical moment when concepts of masculinity in the United States and around the world are adapting to advances in gender equality and diversity, Trump is advocating a return to a traditional model that emphasizes physical strength and the superiority of heterosexual white men in certain areas. This allows him to reinforce his connection with his rank-and-file supporters, who are largely men who see him as a last hope to stop the changes they perceive in an increasingly strange world that offers them increasingly fewer privileges.

Below, we share six ways in which Trump and his administration have sought to reinforce the importance of physical strength and masculinity:

1. Force and violence

Communications from the White House, the Department of War, and Trump himself place special emphasis on displaying strength and the ability to subdue the enemy through the use of violence, which is portrayed as a source of pride. Since the start of his second term, Trump has shared at least 39 Instagram posts that either show the president with military or police forces, or highlight their work. That averages to about one post every eight days. Five of these posts are actual videos of U.S. military attacks on enemies.

2. Fitness and the ideal esthetic

When Trump and Hegseth summoned all U.S. military leaders to a meeting in September, the secretary of war expressed frustration at seeing overweight generals walking around the Pentagon. He announced the implementation of periodic physical fitness tests and the requirement to meet certain esthetic standards. This stance is typical of the contemporary far right. Jackson Katz, a scholar specializing in diversity issues, warns that, with reduced advantages in education and employment, men seeking to maintain a position of authority increasingly emphasize physical strength, as it remains the only area where a clear advantage exists between men and women. Posts on the Department of War and Hegseth’s social media accounts continuously highlight the intense training that military personnel undergo.

3. Trump’s militia

Immigration became one of the key issues ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. It was particularly significant for men: 42% of them ranked it as one of the three main problems in the country, compared to 36% of women. For this reason, Trump’s administration has emphasized showing the harsh treatment immigrants receive during deportations, as we saw in Chapter 4 of the Trump Observatory. Additionally, in the 2026 budgets, funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has increased significantly, turning it, according to some experts, into a kind of personal militia for the government.

4. Promoting the manosphere

In 2020, Donald Trump lost among young voters by 24 percentage points, which cost him the presidency. In 2024, he managed to narrow the gap to just 11 points, thanks to the support of men under 30, among whom he even secured a majority. To reach and attract this audience, he collaborated with influencers considered part of the manosphere, including the Nelk Boys, Logan Paul, and Joe Rogan. Most of the followers of these accounts are men, which is why they play an increasingly important role in shaping new models of masculinity.

5. Passion for wrestling

On the day Trump accepted the Republican nomination, one of the speakers who hyped up the crowd before his speech was Hulk Hogan, a famous wrestler who tore his shirt on stage to show his support. Professional wrestling and Mixed Martial Arts are two of the president’s supporters’ favorite sports. For this reason, Trump engages with the leading figures in these disciplines, regularly attends fights, and is even planning a UFC mega-event at the White House next year to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. Combat sports promote values that strongly influence how his followers view masculinity: the importance of appearance, dominating an opponent, enduring pain without showing emotion, and so on.

6. The rise of the tradwives

The return to a traditional model of masculinity also requires women to return to their past roles. Among far-right circles, so-called tradwives — female influencers who emphasize the importance of women being devoted to family and household duties — have begun to gain popularity. They are part of what is increasingly being called the “womanosphere.” But it goes beyond social media. Women connected to the Trump administration also adopt certain style and image codes more closely associated with traditional beauty roles. The “Mar-a-Lago face” has become a trend in Washington, D.C.

To find out more:

Books:

• Scott Galloway, Notes on Being a Man
• Richard Reeves, Of Boys and Men
• Laura Bates, Men Who Hate Women
• Michael Kimmel, Angry White Men

Articles:

• Jackson Katz, Pete Hegseth Doubles Down on His Culture War Against Feminism
• Jack Crosbie, Cómo la UFC de Dana White conquistó Estados Unidos a puro golpe y a la par del ascenso de Trump
• Antoni Gutiérrez-Rubí, Las mujeres y la extrema derecha
• Jason Parhan, Qué es la womanosfera y cómo está reconfigurando el amor en la derecha
• Jason Parhan, Mar-a-Lago on the Potomac: The Meaning of MAGA Style

Videos:

• Ezra Klein, Trump Is Building His Own Paramilitary Force
• Offline with Jon Favreau, Why Are Trump & Joe Rogan So Popular With Young Men?

Studies:

• Common Sense Media, Boys in the digital wild

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