MAGA's Misogyny

Summary

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"MAGA's Misogyny" — What A Day (May 26, 2026)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of What A Day, hosted by Jane Coaston, dives deep into the resurgence and mainstreaming of misogynistic ideas—including "masculinism"—especially among factions of the American right. Jane is joined by Helen Lewis, staff writer at The Atlantic, who has reported extensively on this topic. Together, they unpack how these regressive ideas are shaping discourse, influencing policy, and fracturing the American right, particularly within the MAGA movement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Definition and Evolution of Masculinism

• Masculinism vs. the Manosphere
  • Helen Lewis introduces "masculinism" as distinct from internet "manosphere" culture. While the manosphere focuses on viral influencers like Andrew Tate and "how to get women," masculinism exists a step above, among think tankers, academics, and those with policy influence (02:11).
  • Quote (Helen Lewis, 02:11):

    “Masculinism is anti-feminism or a movement to reassert the primacy of men—to say really that men should be dominating politics, the law, the military... They want a world ruled by men and women restored to what they see as their proper place, which is secondary.”

• Status Hierarchy Among Men
  • The movement is less about women and more about establishing hierarchies among men.
  • Quote (Helen Lewis, 03:30):

    “Women are kind of slightly secondary to this vision in all kinds of ways. These are people who would be happier to work with other men, take orders from other men. Actually women are very much like the plus one of the world to them.”

2. The Role of Women in Masculinism

• Highlighting conservative women who help spread these ideas (e.g., Helen Andrews, Katie Miller), often to gain traction for messages men may feel less comfortable delivering (04:56).
• Quote (Helen Lewis, 04:56):

  “If you're the woman who will say that women are getting a bit, you know, bit uppity, there will be a warm welcome for you... But Helen Andrews has got a really coherent thesis... this idea that some sectors of society now have majority female in them.”

3. Narratives Around the ‘Feminization’ of Society

• Theories advanced by conservatives suggest that the rise in women’s economic and social power has negative effects (medicine, universities, risk-aversion), but Helen Lewis counters that broader demographic and societal trends are more likely at play (06:00-06:53).
  • Helen Lewis points out the lack of compelling evidence for supposed negative effects and the tendency to blame women for broad social shifts.

4. Masculinist Ideas Entering Policy & Politics

• Once fringe, masculinist ideas (e.g., restricting women’s rights to vote or work) are now closer to mainstream, influencing circles near or within the Trump administration (07:21).
• The fractures within the MAGA right (e.g., over Iran, Israel, tariffs) are less divisive than the unifying support for traditional gender roles.
  • Quote (Helen Lewis, 07:21):

    “The one thing that basically Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Scott Yenner at the Heritage Foundation... all of these different factions, these moving parts of the MAGA can agree is: traditional gender roles are better.”

5. From Online ‘Based Rituals’ to Real-World Impact

• Jane and Helen discuss the phenomenon of “edgelord” posturing online: escalating outrageous statements as a contest for viral infamy.
  • Quote (Jane Coaston, 08:20):

    “It seems to me like the online discussion is almost edging into kind of... the based ritual where you just compete in these right wing circles by saying the most based or terrible thing you can think of…”

• Policy translation: Though some rhetoric seems performative, real efforts are being made via think tanks and Heritage Foundation reports, such as Project 2025, to bring about subtle, regulatory changes that roll back women’s rights (e.g., abortion access, graduate school access, no-fault divorce) (09:13-10:00).
  • Jane Coaston, 09:49:

    “They’ve also mentioned attempting to restrict women from going to graduate school because over education is a problem. I believe that paper was written by someone who has a doctorate.”

6. The “Stick,” Not the “Carrot”

• Despite fixation on America’s birth rate, proposals rarely address how to make family life more affordable or appealing—instead, the focus is punitive or restrictive (10:39-11:23).
  • Helen Lewis, 11:23:

    “You never hear about the carrot, right? It always seems to be the stick. And that suggests to me that there’s something, you know, there’s an ideological belief about that underpins all of this.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Paradox of Anti-Work Women:
  Jane Coaston, 04:24:

  “Two women with jobs talking about how women shouldn’t have jobs.”

• On the Nature of Masculinist Spaces:
  Helen Lewis, 03:30:

  “Straight men need to be able to reclaim the idea about hanging out sweatily with other men.”

• On Policy Creep:
  Helen Lewis, 09:13:

  “Project 2025... essentially the blueprint for his second term... has got lots of things in it about... stealthily reducing access to abortion pills, for example, just by upping the regulatory burden.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:02-02:56 — Setting the Stage: Misogyny in American right-wing circles, introduction of key players (Doug Wilson, Scott Yenner, Helen Andrews)
• 02:56-04:24 — Defining Masculinism and How It Differs from the Manosphere
• 04:24-06:53 — The Role and Contradiction of Women within Masculinist Movements
• 06:53-08:20 — How Masculinist Ideas are Moving from Fringe to Mainstream Political Circles
• 08:20-10:39 — The “Based Ritual,” Online Outrage, and Real-World Policy Attempts
• 10:39-11:23 — American Birth Rates, Family Policy, and the Predominance of Punitive Proposals
• 11:23 — Closing thoughts and guest sign-off

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Candid, satirical, and at times exasperated, the tone matches the severity of the issue but maintains a sense of humor and critical detachment.
• The episode highlights the paradoxes and internal contradictions of masculinist and anti-feminist movements, especially as they enter mainstream conservative policy-making.
• Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of how these currents are not just internet sideshows but active, organized movements with tangible policy implications.

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Transcript

[Jane Coastin]

It's Tuesday, May 26th. I'm Jane Coastin. This is what a day. A show that is not whimsy maxing, partly because I don't know what that would require me to do, partly because I do not want to. On today's show, a lot happened over the holiday weekend. We'll tell you what we do and don't know about President Donald Trump's alleged Iran deal and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigns. But let's start with misogyny. You may have noticed that misogyny is kind of everywhere right now, especially online. As American women continue to move further to the political left while gaining economic and cultural independence, men in the American right appear to have responded by losing their minds completely. For example, this is Doug Wilson. He's a pastor in Moscow, Idaho, with close ties to Secretary of Defense little boy Pete Hegseth. Hegseth even invited him to lead a Pentagon worship service back in February. And, boy, does Doug Wilson have a lot of fun views on the role of women in the world. Here he is speaking to CNN's Pamela Brown last summer.

[Helen Lewis]

What role do you think women play in society?

[Jane Coastin]

Women are the kind of people that people come out of.

[Helen Lewis]

So you just think they're meant to have babies.

[Jane Coastin]

That's it. They're just a vessel? No, it doesn't take any talent to simply reproduce biologically. The wife and mother who is the chief executive of the home is entrusted with three or four or five eternal souls. In other words, I'm not a person. I am a person. Production vehicle. Fun. Then there's Scott Yener, who has said that women today are, quote, medicated, meddlesome and quarrelsome. And Helen Andrews, a conservative writer who argues that the, quote, feminization of the workplace has ruined everything. Two more people to not invite to your next house party. Helen Lewis, a staff writer for the Atlantic co calls these people masculinists. In a recent article. I wanted to ask her, what is driving this movement and what is it doing to our policy? Helen, welcome to what a Day.

[Helen Lewis]

Thank you very much for having me.

[Jane Coastin]

Before we get into the nitty gritty of your piece and this movement, such as it exists as a whole, how would you define masculinism? Right.

[Helen Lewis]

I wanted a word that wasn't the same as manosphere. Because I think to people that says Andrew Tate, that says influencers, people who are chasing the viral algorithm. And I wanted to make the case in this piece. I was talking about the people like, like one step up from that right we're talking about people who work for think tanks, people who write for very impressive academic and intellectual journals, people who've got, you know, links to the White House. So masculinism is anti feminism or a movement to reassert the primacy of men. To say really that men should be dominating politics, the law, the military, all of this kind of stuff. They want a world ruled by men and women restored to what they see as their proper place, which is secondary. And they're very serious about the ways that they've been thinking about doing it. They have a whole intellectual backing of it. And that is, to me, masculinism.

[Jane Coastin]

Yeah, it's also to me differs from the manosphere because I remember writing about the manosphere like 10, 15 years ago, and at some point there was an idea of like the manosphere being a place where you talk about how to get women. Masculinism is not about how to attract women at all. It has nothing to do with that whatsoever. And it's also interesting because as you mentioned, it encapsulates a lot of different people. There are pastors and podcast bros and, and incels and incel adjacent people, but also women who seemingly support this broader movement. What beliefs are tying them together?

[Helen Lewis]

It's interesting you say that because I came away thinking that a lot of these men are men who exist primarily and are most interested in their relationships with other men, being in a kind of status hierarchy with other men. You know, they. In the case of Scott Yenna of the Heritage foundation, he's a member of an all male society which is dedicated to kind of letting men be their best selves. It was set up by an Indiana hair care magnate, which is a phrase I can never say enough, you know. And in the case of Charles Cornishdale, raw egg nationalist, a lot of that is about bodybuilding. And he has, he gets very cross about the fact that people always think that pirates and Spartans are gay because actually straight men need to be able to reclaim the idea about hanging out sweatily with other men. So I think that's one of the things that's interesting. Women are kind of slightly secondary to this vision in all kinds of ways. These are people who would be happier to work with other men, take orders, you know, political orders from other men. And actually women are very much like the plus one of the world to them.

[Jane Coastin]

Yeah, it was interesting though, cause you mentioned a writer named Helen Andrews who has written about the feminization of the workplace. I'm using air quotes. And you mentioned Stephen Miller's Wife Katie Miller speaking with Laura Ingraham on a show. And someone made the point like two women with jobs talking about how women shouldn't have jobs. So how, how do women fit in here? Obviously they are the object of derision, the object of wanting to be pushed out of society. But there are women who are talking about this as being a good thing, right?

[Helen Lewis]

And I don't wanna dismiss that these women do think these things and are making an intellectual case. But there is something else parallel to that that's going on. There's a great moment in the drama Mrs. America where Cate Blanchett plays Phyllis Schlafly who led the kind of reaction against the Equal Rights Amendment getting ratified, where she's trying to talk about defense policy, which is her great enthusiasm and, and none of the men around her care. And then she says, but of course, you know, these, this women's lib has gone too far. And suddenly they're like, oh hello. Because they know that a female messenger for that subject is much more appealing. You know, if you're the woman who will say that women are getting a bit, you know, bit uppity, there will be a warm welcome for you. And people have subsequently filled that market niche. But Helen Andrews has got a really coherent thesis that she lays out. I don't think it's a very compelling one when you look at the evidence particularly, but this idea that basically some sectors of society now have majority female in them. So in America the majority of undergraduate medical degrees are being taken by women now and then the feeling is that because women are ruled by their emotions, not logic, they care more about feelings than they do about facts. They will make bad doctors and the profession will become more about diagnosing people with made up illnesses. And the thing that's interesting to me, she diagnoses a lot of trends that I have some sympathy for. I think there are real trends in American society that have happened at the same time as a couple of industries have become more feminine. So she talks about the universities. Now. I would be the first to admit that I think American universities have had a pretty rough decade trying to deal with and digest this kind of new ideology. But whether or not that's really about the entry of women to them or that's a broader social shift. The same thing with the idea that we don't want to take risks anymore, I think that's much more likely to do with the fact that we're an aging society, we're dominated still by that baby boomer generation who are now in their 70s. And they are shaping the cultural norms, right? And what they want is a safer world with less. There's, you know, kids on their lawn playing loud music. That, that to me seems more likely to be shaping our attitude to risk than maybe it does the fact that we're feminized.

[Jane Coastin]

So as extreme as masculinist ideas are, for example, the idea of, you know, we gotta restrict the vote from women or women should not be allowed to work in pretty much any outward facing field, or the idea of, you know, the vote, you can only vote if you're a man with women and children. They aren't fringe anymore. There are people in the Trump administration who actually believe this stuff. So how has the rise of masculinism influenced American politics?

[Helen Lewis]

Well, the thing I hadn't really thought about before is that the MAGA right has now got some pretty serious and obvious fractures through the middle of it. A very obvious example of that would be the Iran war, right? The kind of old fashioned neocons hanging in there versus this larger group that think, you know, the America first people who think, why are we getting involved in the Middle East? Again, the role of Israel in American politics. You know, there are still bits of the Republican Party that are default reform, reflexively pro Israel, but there are bigger pits of the coalition who, who contest that in the same way that there are on the left. And that argument's happening in the Democrats. The same thing with Trump's tariffs versus the people who believe in free trade. These big splits exist. The one thing that basically Tucker Carlson, Megan Kelly, Scott Yenner at the Heritage Foundation, Doug Wilson, who's Pete Heggs as pastor, you know, all of these different factions, these moving parts of the MAGA can agree is traditional gender roles are two. Better, better. The left has gone crazy on gender and actually wouldn't it be better if we rolled the clock back a little bit?

[Jane Coastin]

So you and I, well actually I hope mostly me, spend a lot of time online and you see this kind of conversation happening all the time. And some of this seems like insane. Like it seems to me like the online discussion is almost edging into kind of, I think you quote, there's a writer who called it like the based ritual where you just compete in these right wing circles by saying the most based or terrible thing you can think of, oh, you know, women shouldn't be allowed to vote. Oh yeah, women should be only used for breeding, which is something Nick Fuentes once said. So my question is, how much of this is kind of like an online attempt to get content and clicks. And how much of it is people trying to be like, no, we actually should try to take away voting from women. Are we seeing these ideas in policy yet? Right.

[Helen Lewis]

I think that's the interesting question that merits exploration because there are very influential people. And I mention heritage because Project 2025, disavowed by Trump during the campaign, but essentially the blueprint for his second term that has got lots of things in it about, you know, very stealthily reducing access to abortion pills, for example, just by upping the regulatory burden, you know, that kind of thing. And you can see a similar way in which you would try and create more like your traditional families. Right. So there is another report by the Heritage foundation out in January that said, you know, we need to think about whether or not we restrict single parent benefits.

[Jane Coastin]

They've also mentioned attempting to restrict women from going to graduate school because over education is a problem. I believe that paper was written by someone who has a doctorate.

[Helen Lewis]

So this is, I mean, this is like the kind of thing that every trad wife is actually running a small business. Right. There's just kind of quite a lot of like, do as I say, not as I do, but, you know, stuff like rolling back no fault divorce. You know, I wrote a history of feminism which looked at the time before, I mean, England only got no fault divorce relatively recently. But that was, you know, that the idea of blame, like the divorce. Divorce is about blame has historically been very bad for women because it becomes that, you know, you're going to have your children taken away from you because you were a bad woman. Like all of those things, whether or not, like change, like small changes to the tax code, for example, you know, things like that that have been absolutely fought for by American feminism. There is an obsession with the birth rates, for example.

[Jane Coastin]

Right.

[Helen Lewis]

And it's very striking to me that the one thing that never really comes up is, shall we make it easier financially for people to have children? Even shall we make it easier financially to stay at home with their very young children? You know, I live in Europe, as you might be able to tell from my accent. And it's kind of always been shocking to me the entire time I've been writing about America, that there is no federally mandated maternity leave. You get these situations in which women are cobbling together their holiday allowance, Right. Or they are having to go back to work and then like pump in the break room or whatever it might be. America, you know, has a higher birth rate than Europe, but does not have very family friendly policies. But you never hear about the carrot, right? It's it always seems to be the stick. And that suggests to me that there's something, you know, there's an ideological belief about that underpins all of this.

[Jane Coastin]

Helen, thank you so much for taking the time to join me.

[Helen Lewis]

Thank you.

[Jane Coastin]

That was my conversation with Helen Lewis, staff writer at the Atlantic. I'm a woman who will be telling you what happened in the world if you're okay with that, because you're not a deranged misogynist. Make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. What a day is brought to you by Fast Growing Trees. Did you know? Fast Growing Trees is America's largest and most trusted online nursery with thousands of trees and plants and over 2 million happy customers. They have all the plants your yard or home needs, including fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs and houseplants, all grown with care and guaranteed to arrive healthy. It's like your local nursery, but anywhere. You live with more plants than you'll find anywhere else. Whatever you're looking for, Fast Growing Trees helps you find options that actually work for your climate, space and lifestyle. Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to get your dream yard. Just click, order, grow and get healthy, thriving plants delivered to your door. Their Alive and Thrive guarantee promises that your plants arrive happy and healthy. No green thumb required, just quality plants you can count on. Plus get ongoing support from trained plant experts who can help you plan your landscape, choose the right plants and learn how to care for them every step of the way. My husband and I love giving gifts from Fast Growing trees. It's a gift that literally keeps giving year after year. Right now they have great deals on spring planting essentials, up to half off on select plants, and listeners to our show get 20% off their first purchase when using the code WAD at checkout. That's an additional 20% off. Better plants and better growing at fastgrowingtrees.com using the code WAD at checkout fastgrowingtrees.com code WAD now is the perfect time to plant. Let's grow together. Use WAD to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. This podcast is brought to you by wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. When it comes to sending money abroad, many providers claim to offer free fees and competitive rates. But don't be fooled, this can be code for inflated exchange rates. With the WISE account, you can send, spend and receive money in over 40 currencies without ever having to worry about hidden fees. Sending pounds across the pond. Most transfers arrive in 20 seconds or less. Spending reals in Rio. The wise travel card gives you the mid market rate on every purchase. No costly markups on your bill. Getting paid in dollars for your side gig. Avoid hidden fees and get the real exchange rate every time with 24. 7 access to live support, your international transactions with WISE are quick, transparent and safe. Plus WISE runs over 7 million daily checks to catch and prevent fraud. 15 million people already trust Wise to manage their money internationally. Be smart, Get Wise. My husband and I have used Wyze when we've traveled all over the country and it's been a total game changer. Download the Wyze app today or visit wyze.com Terms and Conditions apply. If you're into tech, you'll love this. TikTok is a live lab where users post instant reviews of the latest trends. Download TikTok and check it out.

[Grainger Announcer]

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[Jane Coastin]

Here's what you may have missed.

[Helen Lewis]

Head of Lines

[Jane Coastin]

look, we were told about 11 weeks ago by Hegseth and the Department of Defense that they had obliterated Iran's defenses and it was just a matter of time before we had the nuclear material. Now we're talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran. How does that make sense at all? That was North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis speaking to Jake Tapper on Sunday and asking the question many of us are thinking, what exactly is this Iran deal and what's the point of it? President Trump announced over the weekend that Iran and the United States are getting close to a deal to end the war. But stop me if you've heard this before, the deal might not really be a deal. Iranian officials told reporters Monday that, quote, no one can claim that the signing of an agreement is imminent. Some of Trump's biggest allies seem to already hate what they're hearing about the alleged deal. Oh, and on Monday, Trump added that part of an agreement with Iran would be that Qatar and Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel, something these countries do not want to do. Here's what we do know as of Monday. The deal reportedly involves a 60 day ceasefire, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and continuing negotiations over Iran's nuclear materials. The Strait, you'll recall, we closed and the nuclear materials, those were allegedly why we went to war in the first place. Also on Monday, US Central Command announced that US Forces struck targets in Iran in self defense strikes. Tulsi Gabbard resigned as Director of National Intelligence on Friday, saying she needed to leave office as her husband battles cancer. She is the fourth cabinet member to depart during Trump's second term, all women. Gabbard, a veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, built her political name on her opposition to foreign wars, but Trump's overseas military operations had seemed to put the two on a collision course. President Trump quickly announced her replacement on Truth Social, Gabbard's principal deputy Aaron Lucas A criminal case in Tennessee against Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been dropped. The Maryland man was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March of 2025 after a traffic stop in Baltimore. Weeks later, the U.S. supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to bring Abrega Garcia back. He was returned to the US In June and charged with human smuggling based on a Tennessee traffic stop from 2022. That case was dismissed on Friday after a federal judge found evidence of vindictive prosecution by the Justice Department. What? No, not this Justice Department. Abrega Garcia still has a civil case in Maryland where he's challenging the Department of Homeland Security's attempts to deport him to an African country. Pro Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Halil will ask the U.S. supreme Court to intervene after a federal appeals court put the government a step closer to deporting him on Friday. Federal officials have accused Halil of leading activities, quote, aligned to Hamas. However, they have not presented evidence to support the claim and have not accused him of criminal conduct. The aclu, which is involved in representing Khalil, released a statement saying the decision is not the final word and we still strongly believe in our arguments going forward. Mexican President Claudia Schaumbaum said on Monday that she has, quote, no issue with her country hosting Iran's World cup team for the summer soccer competition. Quote, they asked us, can they spend the night in Mexico? And we said yes, that's no problem. The team will still play its group stage matches in the US but its base has been moved to Tijuana Mexico. Scheinbaum said at a news conference Monday that she was told by a FIFA representative the US Was reluctant to have the Iranian soccer team spend time outside the games U.S. territory. And that's the news. Before we go. Hey, if you haven't heard yet, tickets for CrookedCon 2026 are on sale now. Expect potential presidential candidates, campaign strategists, pollsters, organizers, journalists, creators and crooked podcast hosts like me. CricketCon comes just days after the midterms. We will have a lot to learn and a lot to do to get ready for the next two years. It kicks off on Thursday, November 5th with a pod Save America Live show. Then in the Evening of Friday, November 6, you can catch strict scrutiny live or love it or leave it live. And on Saturday, November 7, join us for a full day of Crooked Con panels and meetups. Head to crookedcon.com to get tickets and more details, including how to become a friend of the pod for a special discount. I can't wait to see you there. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, relish in the first enhanced game's apparent failure, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how the sports competition that encouraged athletes to use performance enhancing drugs featured fitness influencers, sparse crowds and a lot of non enhanced athletes winning their events. Like me, what a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Coston and past their prime men taking a lot of supplements and trying to impress people with their physical capabilities. Sounds like something that should just be for RFK Junior Water Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Caitlin Plummer, Emily Foer, Erica Morrison and Adrienne Hill. Our team includes Haley Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Case and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Kanter. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

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[Jane Coastin]

ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H Vac and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock, so your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop

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by Grainger for the ones who get it done. When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters, but when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery, so you can keep your facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.