Kamala Harris effectively baited Donald Trump during the debate, drawing out his insecure White masculinity

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are seen on a screen as they debate for the first time in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images by Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University The Sept. 10, 2024, debate between Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was a referendum on gender and the U.S. presidency – Trump’s, that is. During the past decade, U.S. voters have watched as Trump’s toxic masculinity – a particular version of masculinity that discourages empathy, expresses strength through dominance, normalizes violence against women and associates leadership with white patriarchy – took over the Republican Party, was celebrated by tech bros with outsized cultural influence and was matched by authoritarian political leaders around the globe. Harris’ shrewd debate strategy, however, prompted Trump to morph on stage – from an aggressive and aggrieved showman-provocateur to an insecure and angry white man. As a communication scholar who studies gender and the U.S. presidency, I am often asked by journalists to comment on women candidates’ fitness for presidential office. I’m rarely asked to comment on how some versions of masculinity might – or should – be disqualifying for a presidential candidate. When Harris triggered Trump’s...