Pete Hegseth’s recent announcement of testosterone screening for U.S. troops channeled Colin Jost’s cartoonish depiction of the Defense Secretary on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
But the pathological version of masculinity Jost mocks extends far beyond Hegseth. It permeates the entire MAGA movement, from Donald Trump on down.
And as events this summer have shown, it’s ugly, not funny.
As Hegseth unveiled his testosterone program, the New York Times reported that he blocked promotions for five senior Navy officers who are women or people of color, including the first American woman to command a nuclear aircraft carrier.