Even before Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the likely Democratic nominee, the 2024 election was shaping up to be a battle of the sexes. Last week's Republican National Convention was deliberately planned as a chest-beating affair that would contrast Donald Trump's macho bona fides with President Biden's more female-friendly, reproductive rights–focused campaign. Big-game hunter Donald Trump Jr. introduced J.D. Vance — a "pro-natalist" who calls women without kids "childless cat ladies" — as Trump's running mate. Dana White, CEO of the testosterone-jacked Ultimate Fighting Championship, got the honor of introducing the GOP's alpha male. "I'm in the tough-guy business," White said of Trump, "and this guy's the toughest, most resilient guy I've ever met." And pro-wrestling star Hulk Hogan praised Trump for surviving his attempted assassination like "a warrior" — before ripping off his T-shirt to reveal a Trump-Vance tank top and hollering "Let Trumpmania run wild, brother!"
Doubling down on hypermasculinity makes for cringeworthy viewing, but it's smart politics. Before this week, polls showed Trump leading Biden in most of the six big swing states, thanks largely to his double-digit lead among men, which was greater than Biden's single-digit lead among women. Trump's pledge to "Make America Great Again," with its implicit promise to restore traditional gender hierarchies, seems to be resonating with younger men especially. In a recent Pew survey, 40 percent of men ages 18 to 49 who support Trump agreed that women's gains in society have come at the expense of men — 11 points higher than among older Trump-supporting men. As young men shift right, young women are going left and are now 15 points more liberal than their male peers. The consequences of this gender chasm will be felt long beyond November. A nation in which men and women view one another as political foes will be one with a lot more lonely, angry people.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 7, 2024Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - football widows, meddling kids, and more
-
Smoking ban: the return of the nanny state?Talking Point Starmer's plan to revive Sunak-era war on tobacco has struck an unsettling chord even with some non-smokers
-
Crossword: September 7, 2024The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Can Germany's far-right win across the country?Today's Big Question A startling AfD triumph in eastern Germany's regional elections lays bare the fragility of the country's mismatched coalition goverment
-
When families cross the aisle against presidential candidatesIn The Spotlight Tim Walz's cousins, Donald Trump's niece and nephew, RFK Jr.'s siblings: When it comes to running for office, blood is not necessarily thicker than water
-
'The Gish Gallop will certainly play a major role'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Will Kamala Harris give YIMBYs a voice in the White House?Today's Big Question And can federal officials do anything about local housing rules?
-
DOJ charges 2 Russians for funding US far-right mediaSpeed Read Russia is running disinformation campaigns to influence US politics ahead of the 2024 election, officials say
-
'The journalistic mission to follow the facts and deliver the truth must persist'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Battleground states to watch in the 2024 electionIn Depth These seven states could end up deciding who wins the White House this year
-
'Americans have friends. We just never really see them'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
