A column in the NYT a few days ago made the point that Trump’s blustery, whiny masculinity was completely inconsistent with the paradigm of the strong, silent, self-sacrificing man that prevailed in the World War II generation. I agree; it is an argument I have made in previous post.
So who was the actual antecedent of the Trump persona? I think it is the medieval knight–obsessed with status, prepared for war at all times, and contemptuous of peasants and workers (i.e., “losers”).
Now, that’s really old school!