One thing that the current moment has taught me is how easily some people are manipulated. I have seen men especially vulnerable to this sort of flattery. The fragility of masculinity is such that any bolstering or diminishment of its symbols is extremely effective.
Hillary Clinton told us 45 could be baited with a tweet and she was right. Today I read about him blocking a veterans group and Steven King on Twitter. Which, sure, I guess that means they’ve challenged his masculinity sufficiently to have him (or his staff) shut them down.
But simultaneously, that display of loyalty, the “which of you doth love me most” cabinet meeting shows how any flattery of 45s masculinity can secure the most loathsome sort of folks a seat at the table. 45 has surrounded himself with Iagos, Claudiuses, Aarons, Richard the Thirds, Gloucesters and Cassiuses. 45 is not only Roderigo and Laertes and Clarence and the little princes and Lear but also Bardolph, the gravediggers and the Dauphin. He is Leontes. He is Lear. With much shittier language. He is toddler Lear and baby Leontes.
The Hamlet Project 