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 is increasingly trying to assert dominance through adolescent feats of strength.

In New York, Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani went viral after a video emerged showing him attempting — and failing — to bench press 135 pounds twice, without a spotter’s assistance.

Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who are running well behind Mr. Mamdani in the 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. Mandami, 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.”

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

As part of Mr. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, the goal is to complete 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups in under 10 minutes.

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

The 45-year-old Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, edged out the 71-year-old, blue-jean-wearing Kennedy by a little more than 20 seconds, after they both finished in under 6 minutes.

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

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

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

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

And apparently it did. Workout footage showed Mr. Cain giving Mr. Duffy a boost through a few pull-ups, and he finished at 12:25.

That opened up Mr. Duffy to some good-natured ribbing from Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

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 this week that Scott Turner, secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a former professional football player, had the best time among cabinet officials. His 5:15 came despite a “dislocated arm.”

Mr. Kennedy said President Trump was exempt from the challenge because he can “hit a 50 at Bedminster” — a reference 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 that he will host an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the South Lawn next year as part of the United States’ 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,” Mr. Trump, 79, said at the White House. “I may put on shorts - I look extremely good in shorts - and join the play.”