Feats of strength become the 2025 litmus in Trump era of masculine politics

In the animal kingdom, male peacocks assert dominance by showing their plumage.

In America’s political kingdom, the male species increasingly tries to assert dominance through adolescent feats of strength.

A viral video shows New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attempting and failing to bench press 135 pounds twice without a spotter’s assistance.

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running well behind Mr. Mamdani in polls, puffed their chests and mocked Mr. Mamdani’s attempt.

Mr. Adams called him “mamscrawny” and posted side-by-side videos that showed the mayor ripping out a few reps with little to no help.

“The weight of the job is too heavy for ‘Mamscrawny,’” Mr. Adams said. “The only thing he can lift is your taxes.”

Mr. Cuomo did not hit the bench, but he did hit out at Mr. Mamdami, saying the 33-year-old “can’t bench his own body weight, let alone carry the weight of leading the most important city in the world.”

“Our politics have become a caricature of masculinity in which bullies rule the world, to which the New York City mayoral race has now fallen prey,” said Monika McDermott, a political science professor at Fordham University.

Ms. McDermott said it is almost “inevitable that masculinity would become an issue” in a mayoral race pitting Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, against rivals with “rather bullying, traditional masculine personalities.”

“Liberals and progressives have long been considered ‘weak’ by the standards of traditional masculine gender roles,” Ms. McDermott said. “The caring and nurturing policies for which they advocate are naturally a fit for more feminine visions of society and government.

“That said, Mamdani’s choice to try to bench press as some sort of qualifier for being Mayor of New York City, not his failure to do so, shows questionable judgment on his part,” she said. “If he wants to be a different kind of politician for a new generation, he should hold himself above feats of strength, whether meant humorously or not.”

Buff is also back in Washington, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have launched a “Pete and Bobby” fitness challenge.

As part of Mr. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, the goal is to complete 100 pushups and 50 pullups in less than 10 minutes.

“We are going to be fit, not fat,” Mr. Hegseth said in a video promoting the fitness challenge.

Mr. Hegseth, 45, a former Army National Guard officer, edged out the blue-jean-wearing Mr. Kennedy, 71, by a little more than 20 seconds. Each finished in less than 6 minutes.

Mr. Hegseth’s narrow win earned him derision from Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat and former Army Ranger, who thought Mr. Hegseth’s form suffered at the end.

“This is how you do pull-ups @PeteHegseth,” Mr. Crow posted on X, where he included a video of himself doing 10 proper pullups. “All the way up. All the way down. Slow and controlled.”

He added, “Good luck finding your warrior ethos.”

Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who competed in log rolling and speed climbing contests years ago, accepted the “Pete and Bobby” challenge, along with Fox News host Will Cain, and warned that a shoulder injury would hamper his performance.

It apparently did. Workout footage showed Mr. Cain giving Mr. Duffy a boost through a few pullups, and he finished at 12:25.

That opened Mr. Duffy to good-natured ribbing from Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma Republican.

The former mixed martial arts fighter, who nearly came to blows in a 2023 committee hearing with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, mocked the former “Real World” cast member’s performance.

“Duffy, your time was just completely embarrassing — especially for a lumberjack champion,” Mr. Mullin said in a video post where he took the challenge and smoked the competition with a 3:33 time.

“It’s a little harder than I thought,” Mr. Mullin concluded as he caught his breath.

Mr. Kennedy announced at a White House meeting last week that Scott Turner, secretary of housing and urban development and a former professional football player, had the best time among Cabinet officials — 5:15 — despite a “dislocated arm.”

Mr. Kennedy said President Trump was exempt from the challenge because he can “hit a 50 at Bedminster,” referring to the president’s score at a two-person scramble tournament at the golf club he owns in New Jersey.

Things are definitely masculine at the White House, where Mr. Trump announced he will host an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the South Lawn next year as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

A regular fixture ringside at UFC events, Mr. Trump recently suggested he may make a foray into soccer after hearing what professional players make.

“I might try and play. I am a very good athlete,” said Mr. Trump, 79. “I may put on shorts — I look extremely good in shorts — and join the play.”