IT IS NO SECRET that President Trump has built his “alpha male” persona around a warped version of masculinity in which vulnerability is weakness, cruelty is strength, empathy is feminine, and women are easy targets.
asserted
women → build → which
It’s also no secret that he’s shaped the Republican party around this ethos.
asserted
he → ’ → ethos
Over the past decade, Republican politics has become obsessed with projecting toughness and mocking liberals as weak, feminine “betas.”1
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politics → obsess → betas
In Trump’s case specifically, it wasn’t even all that hidden.
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it → hide → case
There’s the Access Hollywood tape, Trump’s habit of calling women “nasty,” the numerous accusations he’s faced of sexual assault, and his suggestion that Megyn Kelly had “blood coming out of her wherever.”
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blood → ’ → her
Considering all that, people often wonder why women would vote for Trump, let alone work for him.
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women → consider → him
Having done both, I can only say that I managed to convince myself that I could separate his behavior from the policies I supported and the career I hoped to build.
uncertain
I → do → policies
Trump was a vehicle and, maybe, an aberration; a modest Faustian bargain to advance the causes I cared about.
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I → advance → causes
It was January 6th that ultimately caused me to break with Trump.
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me → cause → Trump
But since moving away from Republican politics, I have begun confronting what I had spent years excusing.
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I → move → years
By embracing Trump, Republicans did not merely tolerate the demeaning of women or the blasé dismissal of allegations of sexual assault.
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Republicans → embrace → assault
A decade spent defending him corrupted the party itself.
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decade → spend → party
What began as a political bargain became a morally rotten culture.
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began → begin → bargain
Few politicians illustrate what this culture is willing to excuse—even what it rewards—better than Ohio Rep. Max Miller.
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it → illustrate → Miller
I crossed paths with Miller while serving in Trump’s first White House.
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I → cross → House
I did not know him well, but by the time he ran for Congress, I had heard
troubling stories about his alleged treatment of women.
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I → know → women
Later, in 2022, when my mother, an experienced former district director for Ohio House Republicans, was invited to interview for a position working for him, I advised her not to do it.
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I → invite → it
The concerns about his character only reinforced that judgment.
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concerns → reinforce → judgment
The allegations facing Miller now are even more disturbing.
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allegations → face → Miller
His ex-wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno, has accused Miller of pouring scalding water on her, holding a gun to her head, and breaking their daughter’s collarbone.
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wife → accuse → collarbone
Miller has denied abusing his ex-wife or daughter, and the House Ethics Committee is investigating the allegations against him.
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Committee → deny → him
In a recent interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Miller invoked Trump’s 2016 campaign as his inspiration for continuing to seek re-election, praising Trump’s “resilience” in the face of allegations.
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Miller → invoke → allegations
Miller has absorbed the central lesson of the Trump era: Never apologize, never step aside, and recast accountability as persecution.
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Miller → absorb → persecution
It’s no surprise that top Republican officials have declined to denounce him.
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officials → ’ → him
They don’t believe compelling evidence of misogyny or sexual violence is inherently disqualifying.
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evidence → believe → misogyny
When House Speaker Mike Johnson was recently asked whether he still supported Miller’s re-election, he said yes.
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he → ask → election
“He has been a great member of Congress,” Johnson said.
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Johnson → say → Congress
“He has some issues in his personal life he’s working through.
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he → have → life
It was him calling Miller a “great member of Congress.”
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him → call → Congress
As Johnson sees it, being accused of domestic violence, child abuse, and drug use doesn’t actually diminish your effectiveness as a lawmaker.
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accused → see → lawmaker
Setting examples for decency and good character is peripheral, maybe even irrelevant, possibly even deleterious to the job.
uncertain
Setting → set → job
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has said he will continue supporting Miller because “this is the most important election for preserving Republican control of the House.”
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this → say → House
The National Republican Congressional Committee is now coordinating ad spending with Miller’s campaign.
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Committee → coordinate → campaign
That is how politicians like Miller rise, survive, and continue advancing within today’s GOP.
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politicians → rise → GOP
As long as they remain useful to the party, almost anything can be rationalized.
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anything → remain → party
I say “almost” here because some Republicans, including Sen. Moreno, have called on Miller to step aside.
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Republicans → say → Miller
Moreno said his daughter lives in fear of Miller and accused his former son-in-law of holding hostage his granddaughter’s beloved stuffed blue bunny for two days during a custody exchange.
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daughter → say → exchange
(Miller disputes that account as well.)
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Miller → dispute → account
Yet Johnson, Ramaswamy, Trump, and much of the Republican campaign apparatus continue to stand behind Miller.
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Johnson → continue → Miller
They do so because preserving their political power matters more than enforcing moral standards—and because they can’t set moral standards now after diluting them for so many years.
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they → do → years
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
