Would you like to live in Trump’s Great America? (OP-ED)

The MAGA promise

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Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement is flourishing on delusion - a toxic nostalgia for a conceptual, so-called "great” America that most young voters neither understand nor will likely ever experience as intended. What Donald Trump truly offers is a grotesque caricature of traditional American values, steeped in racism, sexism, and hatred towards anyone who does not fit the “Great American” stereotype (Mondon & Vaughan, n.d.). His carefully  crafted slogan, deceptively simple yet insidiously powerful, appeals primarily to white, conservative, working-class voter base. This group clings desperately to a past where oppression was normalized, and progress was seen as a threat.

 

Trump doesn’t just pander to their disillusionment; he exploits it. His rhetoric signals a call to reclaim power for the alt-right, a white supremacist movement that thrives on openly hateful comments and polarization (Mondon & Vaughan, n.d.). With violent language and manipulative tactics, he aggregates resentment to mobilize a coalition of dissatisfied Americans. And now, he’s aiming lower than ever. Trump has become a growing symbol for incel communities, weaponizing their misogyny and rage under the guise of "traditional values" and luring them into becoming obedient supporters (Madison, 2021). His promise to "make America great again" becomes a rallying cry for the alienated young men, fueling hatred that sustains his campaigns. Trump’s America, far from being great, fosters the worst impulses of a dangerously growing young republican demographic.

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What Toxic Masculinity and the Trials for Sexual Conquest Do to Today's Men

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What happens to men when they feel like they're slipping off society's radar, becoming more and more isolated?  Instead of self-reflection, they deflect responsibility and blame a society they perceive as flawed and unjust. Enter incel communities - online groups of "involuntary celibates" most commonly known for their highly misogynistic ideologies and hatred towards the liberation of women due to their inability to form or maintain romantic relationships (Harper, 2022). These forums  become breeding grounds for toxic masculinity, where the loudest complaints mask a deeper issue: a competitive hierarchy dictated by peers, not women. This phenomenon, known as aggrieved entitlement, drives the incel narrative. The belief that their privilege of romantic success comes naturally out of their mere existence. When reality doesn’t align, frustration morphs into venomous misogyny (Haenfler, 2018).

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 Why link Trump’s rhetoric to these anonymous digital agitators? Because his divisive language encourages this toxic culture. It appeals to men who feel left behind by today’s progressive society. His calls to “take their power back” resonate with those who see progress—women in power, diversity in business and opportunity as a threat to their diminishing dominance. This backlash doesn’t confine to incels but reflects broader resistance to a world moving beyond “the golden age” of discriminatory privileges. 

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Incels: Hungry for Trump’s Red Pill, Eager for Validation

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The "red pill" metaphor may strike a chord with avid cinephiles. Originally a symbol of harsh reality in The Matrix, it has evolved into a complex metaphor within online subcultures (Madison, 2021). Incels take the red pill as an initiation into rejecting mainstream societal narratives about gender and relationships, and adopting a worldview that sees men as victims of systemic bias. This mindset aligns with Trump’s anti-progressive rhetoric and draws incels into his voter base (Dignam & Rohlinger, 2019).

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Trump's rhetoric often resonates with incels due to its aggressive, combative nature and open disdain for political correctness. By encouraging supporters to “knock the crap out of” protesters, he reinforces the incel worldview that dominance, even though violent, is a legitimate response. His language frames women and social justice movements as threats validating their grievances even further (Attwell et al., n.d.). Hence, Trump enables incels to align their toxic views with his political campaigns.

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This alignment is encouraged and reinforced by the digital sphere. Dignam & Rohlinger (2019) highlight how incel communities foster ideological homogeneity within their forums, serving as echo chambers that magnify Trump's messages. Algorithms on platforms like YouTube and Reddit  funnel young men into increasingly radical content and create a digital pipeline of resentment. Here, toxic masculinity is not just tolerated but celebrated, morphing personal frustrations into one radical political manifesto.

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 Since young generations are avid social media users, fundamental app algorithms further intensify perpetual radicalization. These platforms amplify divisive context by prioritising engagement over accuracy. According to The Atlantic (2021), this feedback loop pushes users seeking validation into more extreme ideological territory which reinforces their negative perceptions of women and progressive movements. This "algorithmic indoctrination" traps vulnerable users in a cycle of escalating resentment (Madison, 2021). Therefore, social media algorithms deepen the societal impact of Trump's rhetoric and turn online discontent into real-world extremism.

 

The Societal Aftermath of Trump's Re-Election

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 The true danger lies in the ripple effect of Trump’s reelection. His encouragement of violence is fire fuel to the testosterone-filled angry young men, eager for validation and ready to take matters into their own hands. This is precisely why Trump's endorsement of such violent behavior is profoundly dangerous. Beyond his role as President, his words carry immense weight, particularly as he increasingly emerges as a symbolic figure for the younger generation. And Trump’s words don’t stop at his rallies -  normalise revenge seeking behavior and  legitimise extremism. His every incendiary statement reinforces a worldview where progress is the enemy, diversity is a threat, and violence is a solution.

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 Following Trump’s victory, the vision of a safe America feels like a distant dream, slowly fading away. Following progressive feminist slogans “your body, your choice,” are distorted into chauvinistic mockery (Wyman,2024). Sadly, this is hardly surprising when so-called role models are men with troubling histories of abuse allegations (Wyman,2024).

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As you are reaching this article's concluding thoughts, consider this: What kind of future are Americans shaping for themselves with these leadership choices? President elect Donald Trump has been found liable for sexual abuse. Additionally, he considers appointing allies such as Matt Gaetz, who is under investigation for sex trafficking, as potential attorney general. Similarly, Pete Hegseth, who has faced accusations of assault, is proposed for the role of defense secretary. These decisions raise serious concerns about the values and standards being upheld in American governance. Misogyny is reframed as a mere political stance, eroding accountability in plain sight.

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I find this issue demands as much concern as Trump's upcoming decisions on warfare or economic policy. He is actively reshaping and degrading moral standards to suit his agenda. As a result, future generations  will actively believe that misogyny and abuse are normalized and even valued as masculine, influential traits. Trump’s upcoming presidency might leave a legacy of division and violence, far removed from the ideals of a “great” America.

 

 

References

Attwell, K., Tomkinson, S., & Harper, T. (n.d.). ‘Incel’ violence is a form of extremism. It’s time we treated it as a security threat. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/incel-violence-is-a-form-of-extremism-its-time-we-treated-it-as-security-threat-138536

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Dignam, P. A., & Rohlinger, D. A. (2019). Misogynistic Men Online: How the Red Pill helped elect Trump. Signs, 44(3), 589–612. https://doi.org/10.1086/701155

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Haenfler, R. (2018, June 6). How a masculine culture that favors sexual conquests gave us today’s ‘incels.’ The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-a-masculine-culture-that-favors-sexual-conquests-gave-us-todays-incels-97221

 

Harper, C., PhD. (2022, August 25). Incel psychology appears to be much different than media portrays. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/articles-heterodoxy/202208/inside-the-minds-th-incels?msockid=0173f514c80b66512e19e646c9306713

 

Madison, C. (2021, December 13). What 'Redpilled' Really Means. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2021/12/pilled-suffix-meaning/620980/

 

Mondon, A., & Vaughan, A. V. (n.d.). The Trump presidency and mainstreaming of Far-Right politics. https://www.gale.com/intl/essays/aurelien-mondon-antonia-vaughan-trump-presidency-mainstreaming-far-right-politics

 

Wyman, C. (2024, November 19). Trump Bros Chant ‘Your Body, My Choice.’ Are Women’s Fears Coming True? https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2024-11-19/how-your-body-my-choice-threatens-omen-in-the-trump-era.