From boasting about the
size of his penis on national television to releasing records of his
high testosterone levels, President Trump’s rhetoric and behavior exude machismo. His behavior also seems to have struck a chord with some male voters. See, for example, the “Donald Trump: Finally Someone With Balls” T-shirts
common at
Trump rallies.
But our research suggests that Trump is not necessarily attracting male supporters who are as confidently masculine as the president presents himself to be. Instead, Trump appears to appeal more to men who are secretly
insecure about their manhood. We call this the “fragile masculinity hypothesis.” Here is some of our evidence.
