September 12, 2019 - Harris Compares Trump to Wizard of Oz


In the third Democratic presidential debate, Harris compares President Trump to the Wizard of Oz, calling him “a really small dude.” Beyond its reference to Trump lacking substance, the comment also plays into emasculation strategies by calling Trump a “small dude.” While this hits Trump at a site (masculinity) on which he places great value in self-presentation, it also plays into the normalization of masculinity as the standard by which presidential fitness is measured.