Trump Booster’s Meltdown over DeSantis’s Hush Money Comments

Donald Trump “is a manly man.” At least, that’s what Claremont Institute chairman Tom Klingenstein believes. The former president embodies “traditional manhood,” which, “even when flawed, is absolutely essential,” Klingenstein says. We can speculate about the masculine features Klingenstein admires in Trump, but one of those should be the capacity to absorb even glancing blows in the fights “manly men” pick for themselves. And on the evidence of their ongoing feud with Governor Ron DeSantis, the sort of stolidity we expect of the strong-willed is lacking in both Trump and his courtiers.

For months, Trump and his entourage tried to goad DeSantis into a political brawl. Their solicitations were not subtle.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Donald Trump “is a manly man.” At least, that’s what Claremont Institute chairman Tom Klingenstein believes. The former president embodies “traditional manhood,” which, “even when flawed, is absolutely essential,” Klingenstein says. We can speculate about the masculine features Klingenstein admires in Trump, but one of those should be the capacity to absorb even glancing blows in the fights “manly men” pick for themselves. And on the evidence of their ongoing feud with Governor Ron DeSantis, the sort of stolidity we expect of the strong-willed is lacking in both Trump and his courtiers.

For months, Trump and his entourage tried to goad DeSantis into a political brawl. Their solicitations were not subtle.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.