Some people steal valor. President Donald Trump steals machismo. Notice how he constantly positions himself alongside athletes, most especially mixed-martial-arts combatants and professional wrestlers. Like those purveyors of the “hammer fist” and the “rear naked choke,” Trump styles himself as an “Ultimate Fighter,” a crotch-kicker in chief who will stop at little to force his opponents to submit.
Ten months into Trump’s second term, he’s made 10 appearances at major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl and the NCAA-wrestling championships, and he’s carried his brawling culture war into all of them. At the Daytona 500, he did a ceremonial lap in his armored limo; told the drivers, “This is your favorite president”; and declared that he loves fender-bumping stock-car racers because they have “guts.” Last month, he scolded the NFL for its new kickoff rule, which is calculated to limit concussions, complaining on his social-media site: “‘Sissy’ football is bad for America, and bad for the NFL!” And recently, Trump announced that on June 14, as part of the buildup to festivities celebrating America’s 250th anniversary of independence, he will host a blood-speckling Ultimate Fighting Championship cage fight on the White House grounds.
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