The Daily Beast Podcast Why Thin-Skinned Trump Is Just Like a Teenage Girl: Welch
4 snips
Feb 2, 2026 
Jennifer Welch, co-host and founder of I’ve Had It and commentator on MAGA and evangelical politics, breaks down the news swirl. She dissects Trump’s vendetta against the press. She explores MAGA masculinity, evangelical complicity around abuse, grift and grievance as political glue. She weighs potential autocratic moves and what Democrats should do in response.
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Journalists Under Legal Threat
- Jennifer Welch argues Don Lemon's arrest is a canary in the coal mine signaling attacks on independent journalists.
- She warns the thin-skinned regime wants to silence critics and is willing to use unprecedented lawfare to do it.
MAGA's Masculinity Paradox
- Welch connects MAGA's masculinity rhetoric to submissive worship of Trump and his theatrical persona.
- She highlights the irony of men celebrating a leader who relies on image and emotional fragility.
Sexual Shame Fuels Aggressive Politics
- Welch links homosocial bro culture and sexual suppression to compensatory misogyny and aggression.
- She argues this dynamic creates a politics that celebrates cruelty and masks insecurity.
