Pete Hegseth’s Crisis of Masculinity

On Wednesday at 11:07 p.m. ET, the president went on Truth Social to share an important piece of information with Americans. It wasn’t an update on the sinking U.S. economy, the failing forever war with Iran, a remembrance of the Americans recently killed in that conflict, rising gasoline prices, the more than 800 lawsuits against his administration, a cyclosporiasis outbreak, surging cases of measles, the problems with his Qatari-gifted Air Force One, or comment on any of the swirling crises that typify the day-to-day of Donald Trump’s America.

Instead, it was a retread of an Instagram post with a clip from an appearance of UFC CEO Dana White — who brought bloodsport to the White House lawn in June — on “The Pat McAfee Show.” It wasn’t, however, a clip from this week or this month or even about last month’s UFC Freedom 250 event. In fact, it wasn’t even from this year.

The headline on the post tells the story: “HOLY CRAP: Dana White says it best: TRUMP is the ‘ultimate American badass of all time.’”

White did actually say that — but he said it back in July 2024. This desperation for two-year-old adulation would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. But the so-called leader of the free world isn’t the only one obsessed with being seen as an American badass. Trump’s Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, is on a mission to make America’s fighting men (and women) more macho by any means necessary. Unsurprisingly, it’s fast becoming a problem for all Americans.

– Nick Turse, editor of TomDispatch

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The Low-T Issue

Self-styled War Secretary Pete Hegseth has a problem with low testosterone. It’s left him suffering from what you might call an acute crisis of masculinity. And I’m pretty sure that he caught it from Teddy…