If you want to understand JD Vance — or, better yet, the Trump campaign as a whole — you must first understand the toxic “manosphere.”
On Tuesday’s episode of “The ReidOut,” Joy discussed this funny-named collection of websites, podcasts and other online forums. They’re not technically connected, but they do share a common ideology: Women are either too self-centered or too dumb to make important decisions on their own.
These online communities have come into focus as people have unearthed some of Vance’s past comments to manosphere-aligned figures.
These online communities have come into focus as people have unearthed some of Vance’s past comments to manosphere-aligned figures. For example, his remarks deriding Democratic leaders as “childless cat ladies” were made during an interview with Tucker Carlson, who used his Fox News show to push manosphere ideology.
In another resurfaced example, the Ohio senator said that some people without kids spend too much time trying to advance their careers — and then, amid their “misery,” pursue racial or gender equity to try to give “their life meaning.” The podcast, “Moment of Truth,” is run by American Moment, an advisory board partner of Project 2025.
Writer John Bloodworth, whose recent work focuses on toxic masculinity, sniffed these remarks out for what they were.
“Literally picked a manosphere guy as their vp nomination,” Bloodworth posted on X.
Literally picked a manosphere guy as their vp nomination https://t.co/k8eAf3ak6V
— James Bloodworth (@J_Bloodworth) August 31, 2024
Minnesota’s GOP Senate candidate, Royce White, has a podcast that certainly falls under the manosphere umbrella. He recently went on a rant of his own, deriding suburban women who — in his imagination — care about helping African children to the detriment of America.
It’s truly deranged stuff, yet Vance is proof that these are not fringe ideas. In fact, manosphere talking points are at the heart of the MAGA movement and the Trump campaign. Tech outlet Wired pinpointed this in an article last week about the Trump campaign seemingly making overt appeals to the manosphere with misogynistic attacks that mirror statements made by Andrew Tate, a deeply controversial manosphere influencer. It’s truly deranged stuff, yet Vance is proof that these are not fringe ideas. In fact, manosphere talking points are at the heart of the MAGA movement and the Trump campaign. And in a recent piece on Vance’s “weird views” on gender, Politico noted his association with the far-right Claremont Institute — a think tank that has welcomed many manosphere types, including Jack Murphy, an influencer who once wrote that “feminists need rape.” I’ve seen people wondering about when — if ever — the slow drip of Vance clips railing against women will stop. But the GOP ticket is deeply entrenched in manosphere ideology, and Vance in particular apparently has had no qualms spreading his putrid rhetoric through any podcast willing to welcome him. So it seems like we should all prepare for more clips of this sort in the future. If you’re looking to bone up on the origins of the manosphere, the Southern Poverty Law Center published a piece last week explaining its beginnings. It’s well worth your time.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog. Recommended
