While this was never explicitly stated, one of Donald Trump's most obvious campaign promises to his mostly-male fan base was that he could bring American women to heel. From threats to "protect" women "whether the women like it or not" to his tour of "manosphere" podcasts to bemoaning the supposed victimization of convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, the message of Trump '24 was simple: In his presidency, women will shut up and make you a sandwich. Like most Trump promises, whether spoken out loud or just implied, it was a lie. But as soon as he won the election, Trump tried to create the appearance of a new era of misogynist triumph by nominating Cabinet members credibly accused of rape and other forms of sexual misconduct.

Rep. Matt Gaetz was nominated as attorney general, despite a federal investigation into allegations of sex trafficking. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is still up to lead Health and Human Services, despite evidence that he once sexually assaulted a babysitter. Billionaire donor Elon Musk got a presidential advisory committee, despite multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon was picked for education secretary, despite accusations that she ignored the sexual abuse of minors who worked as "ring boys" at WWE events.

The case that's currently dominating the news cycle, however, is that of Pete Hegseth. Trump, in maximum-troll mode, selected this Fox News pretty boy to run the Defense Department, the nation's largest employer, with nearly 3.5 million enlisted and civilian personnel. It was swiftly revealed that Hegseth had settled out of court with a woman who accused him of rape in 2017. In recent days, we've learned about repeated adulteries, sexual harassment at his veterans' organization, and a 2018 letter from his mother accusing him of being an "abuser of women." As I reported on Monday, Hegseth, who is now on his third marriage, belongs to a Christian nationalist church that preaches an extreme form of female submission.

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