David Brooks used this term in a column last week; we all know what it means. It manifests itself in two ways: in Trump’s deplorable behavior towards women, including other heads of state; and in some of his policy positions, ranging from increases in the defense budget to his eccentric preference for jobs traditionally held by brawny men (e.g., coal miners and steelworkers) over, say, retail jobs.
The sad fact is that Trump’s extreme version of swagger is one of the two pillars of his popularity with the base. Its principal audience is unskilled male workers who feel that a world which increasingly places less value on physical strength than intellect is screwing them over.
All I can say is that men with more testosterone than brains are not at the top of the list of American “victims” for whom I feel intensely sorry.