"Cool macho" with arms "like steel" and "hips like logs" - rarely a week goes by without Donald Trump making flattering comments about the men he meets. According to experts, this almost comical behavior of the American president is part of a broader glorification of masculinity, illustrated by his decision on Sunday to host an MMA competition, a particularly brutal combat sport, at the White House.
Sabrina Karim, a professor of political science at “Cornell“, expresses concern that such a vision could legitimize male violence.
During At a recent Coast Guard graduation ceremony, the Republican invited a young man who had excelled in athletics to the stage. "I want to see him up close. Wow!" the US president exclaimed as the young man approached.
During a visit to Wisconsin, Donald Trump met Jordan Stolz, a two-time Olympic speed skating champion, and said, "I forgot to touch his leg," while praising his athletic build.
He also spoke of the Navy cadet's "steely" arm and described Jackson Dart, the quarterback for the "New York Giants," as a "cool macho" with "log legs."
Donald Trump He also rates foreign leaders, reserving his compliments for those he likes. For example, he considers Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa "attractive." In 2024, when he was running for president, the billionaire commented on the supposedly impressive masculinity of golfer Arnold Palmer, who died ten years ago. "I like women, but that guy was a real man," he said. "It's clear that Donald Trump likes handsome men," The Advocate magazine recently noted, adding with a sneer that the upcoming MMA bout will be "the most sophisticated homoerotic spectacle in history." The president himself often boasts that he has borrowed from the LGBT community what he calls his "national anthem“ – the Village People“ YMCA song, with which he invariably ends his campaign rallies.
“All this is very ironic. This same government is working tirelessly to ban LGBT people from serving in the military, to erase transgender people from official records and to send a signal that homosexuals are not welcome in America“, commented “The Advocate“.
“The American presidency has always been a contest of masculinity“, explained to Agence France-Presse Dan Cassino, a professor at “Fairleigh Dickinson University“.
The billionaire, who has organized beauty pageants in the past, also makes comments about women. He caused a diplomatic backlash when he praised the appearance of Italian Prime Minister Giorgetta Meloni.
On the other hand, he attacked the appearance of a journalist from the “New York Times“ who wrote an article about his health and criticized a CNN anchor for not being friendly enough. “A beautiful young woman, but she never smiles“, he said of the anchor from this television station.
According to Dan Cassino, in order to mobilize the base of the “MAGA“ movement (“Make America Great Again“), and especially the young men, a large number of whom voted for him in 2024, Trump first “belittles women“, and then “highlights men who possess the desired qualities“, such as the athletes who will participate in the MMA tournament.
These are men “young, muscular, strong and ready for violence. They look like his artificial intelligence-generated images that Trump posts on social media. The message is clear: men are like that and that's why they should govern," the political scientist summarizes.
Translation from French with abbreviations: Gabriela Golemanska, BTA