Trump's 'broligarchy' turned heads at the inauguration. It sends a powerful message.
Is the "broligarchy" upon us?
Some are calling Donald Trump's presidential inauguration the dawn of a new era in American politics, one that's influenced not just by elected officials, but also by men who've made fortunes in the tech industry. These men include Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jeff Bezos − all of whom had prime seating as Trump took the oath of office on live TV Monday − with some online commenters and media outlets dubbing them America's "broligarchs."
"Broligarchy is real," one X user wrote, along with a photo of the men at the inauguration. "The image of the bros + Trump is going to be seared into our brains," wrote another. The Cut declared, "The Broligarchy Is Here," and Jon Stewart discussed the term with a sociologist on "The Daily Show."
The presence of wealthy elites at presidential inaugurations is neither new nor surprising; however, the use of the term "broligarchy" speaks to a growing political and sociological divide between men and women, as well as to men's feelings of disenfranchisement, mental health experts say.
Trump is surrounded by the 'broligarchy.' How did we get here?
The "broligarchy" comes on the heels of a presidential election that put issues steeped in gender politics, like abortion, front and center.
On election day, according to NBC News exit polling, 53% of women went for Kamala Harris, and 45% went for Trump. These figures were nearly flipped for men: 55% voted for Trump and 43% for Harris.
The divide was steeper among young voters. For Gen Z, 49% of men voted for Trump and 47% for Harris. For Gen Z women, 61% voted for Harris and 38% for Trump.
Divisive gender discourse has continued to play out online following the election. After Trump's victory, the 4B movement, in which women swear off sex and relationships with men as a form of political protest, went viral. Meta CEO Zuckerberg also made waves after saying on Joe Rogan's podcast that the tech industry, which is largely male-dominated, has been sapped of "masculine energy" and needs to bring that “aggression” back.
Considering all this, it's no surprise the "broligarchy" has become a heated topic.
The term likely sends different messages to men and women, says Ronald Levant, professor emeritus of psychology at The University of Akron and author of the book "The Problem with Men: Insights into Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood from a World-Renowned Psychologist."
To women, "it says: 'Women, take a back seat,' " he says. "That's one of the things it says very loudly."
To men, however, the message is likely mixed.
"It empowers the men who identify with it, but I think it probably alienates the men who not only do not identify with it but really think it's awful," Levant says. However, "men who feel disenfranchised, feel the world is against them because they're men, probably feel some degree ... of inspiration that it has the word 'bro' in it."
Erik Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says that who the broligarchs are and what they mean to people are likely different things.
"I don't think it should be surprising that men are interested in political power," he says. "These are men who realize they can suck up to Donald Trump and benefit from it."
The irony of the 'broligarchy'
Yet, the rise of the "broligarchy" carries a bit of irony too because men, overall, are not doing too well right now.
They aren't graduating from college at the same rates as women. Many have poor mental health, due to loneliness and social isolation. Many struggle to express their feelings, which makes forming intimate relationships challenging. Many are struggling economically. Many feel disenfranchised.
The Trump campaign saw this, Levant says, and won votes by speaking to this demographic in ways that made them feel seen and valued.
"A particular group of men that I think was mobilized by the Trump campaign are men who haven't established an adult life structure, young men who don't have a vocation," Levant says. "They don't have a lifetime partner. They're sometimes living with their parents. They don't date."
To many of these men, the "broligarchy" may reflect a fantasy of one day amassing as much power and wealth as Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg or Trump. The odds of that actually happening, however, are extremely slim.
Anderson says it's important to keep men's reality in mind when discussing the "broligarchs."
"It's a very small group of very few men who have a very extreme amount of economic, social and political power," he says. "That's really distinct from 'all men are benefiting from this' versus 'there's a very small number of extremely rich and powerful men who are benefiting.' "