In January, I noticed a bumper sticker on an SUV parked in my neighborhood: Trump 2020: Make Liberals Cry Again.
I grumbled, but reassured myself that Trump would not win in Oregon.
A second sticker appeared in March. Donald Trump 2020: Finally, Someone With Balls.
This slogan confirmed my thoughts about the first: Toxic masculinity underlies much of President Trump’s appeal. Liberals cry, but real men have the balls to battle.
For many years, I worked as a psychologist treating abusive men. I established a feminist-informed treatment program for court-mandated batterers. Most of the men I treated had a patriarchal belief system and thought they were entitled to certain privileges because they were men. I especially worried about patriarchal men with narcissism and antisocial behavior, since they became aggressive quickly.
President Trump reminds me of them.