The Arbiter of Hotness

Donald Trump briefly paused his Middle East trip to feud with Taylor Swift on social media. “Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” he wrote on Truth Social.

Leaving aside how astonishingly petty and beneath the presidency this outburst is, it raises a more basic question: why does Trump think he’s qualified to judge anyone’s “hotness”? Even if he meant popularity rather than appearance, the claim collapses on contact with reality. Swift remains one of the most successful and influential artists on the planet, while Trump is a political figure whose relevance increasingly depends on grievance and insult.

This is a familiar pattern. Trump lashes out at women by reducing them to their looks, as though contempt were a substitute for authority. It’s not strength, it’s insecurity, broadcast loudly and proudly.

Presidents are supposed to project dignity. Instead, Trump exports embarrassment, one juvenile post at a time.