Fourth & Democracy | MAGA Alpha Male Fails & Newsom's A+ Trump Trolling

Plus: A different kind of football dynasty.

Welcome to another edition of Fourth & Democracy: Where the playbook meets the public square. Every week, we bring you this newsletter full of culture, politics, sports, and much more. Football season is here, so we’ve got a lot to get to on that front. There’s a showdown going on between the president and one of the nation’s leading governors. And something is seriously going on with middle-aged rich men and their expectations of women.

Let’s get into it.

1st & 10: Gavin’s Got Balls

What started out as a state vs. state redistricting battle between California and Texas has turned into an all out social media war between Gavin Newsom and the White House. The golden state governor has turned the right-wing ecosphere upside down by using Trump’s own trolling tactics against him. Fox News is melting down, the president is rage-posting in the middle of the night, and the meme’s and AI videos are starting to get wild. We saw one recently that depicted a shirtless Newsom with both the first lady and Ivanka Trump on his arm while smiling into the camera — if Trump saw that, there would surely be a ketchup mutiny in the residence.

Last week, the Texas legislature voted to redraw district voting maps in the middle of the decade in a blatant ploy to hand Republicans five Texas seats in the 2026 midterm elections. Newsom announced right after the vote passed that he would counter this measure by putting a redistricting vote on the ballot this year in California. A redrawing of the voting lines in California could save Democrats in the midterms barring any Trump interference or intimidation tactics.

Both the redistricting fight and the social media war with the White House have the public already speculating whether Newsom is eyeing D.C. in 2028 — but with three years to go, we need to be focused on the foreseeable goals and objectives. Winning the midterms and protecting our cities from growing federal forces is what is most important right now, if Governor Newsom wants to step up and be the leader of that — we most certainly welcome it.

2nd Down: The Sanders Family Drives Football Discourse

With the NFL regular season set to kick off next week after the final weekend of preseason — Deion Sanders and his boys are still driving the discourse. This weekend Browns rookie QB Shedeur Sanders struggled in his second preseason game while his brother Shiloh, a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was ejected from his final preseason game over a fight with an opposing tight end. Shiloh was later let go by the Bucs in a move that was more about roster depth than the defensive squabble he was ejected for.

However their father Deion announced a move that might have eclipsed both his son’s games this week, after announcing recently that he was cancer free after a battle with bladder cancer — Deion Sanders announced a partnership with Depends, the adult diaper and underwear padding brand. Sanders has been open and honest about his struggles with bladder control since his cancer diagnosis, and this is a move by a revered sports hero to normalize a product that might otherwise be embarrassing for men. We salute this move by Deion and his willingness to be open and honest about his struggles so that men out in the world might have an easier time when it hits home.

That being said, we’ve got some major matchups coming in week 1. The season kicks off September 4 with a Thursday night matchup between the Eagles and the Cowboys. Jerry Jones’ boys facing off against the defending super bowl champs will surely drive buzz to open the season. Also that week, the Chiefs face off with the Chargers in Sao Paolo, Brazil on Friday and there’s a full slate of games Sunday, September 7.

3rd & Short: MAGA’s Alpha Males Go Limp

In an embarrassing attempt at athleticism last week, Fox News and right-wing media featured the face of Make America Healthy Again, Bobby Kennedy Jr., along with his pal Pete Hegseth working out in some form of a fitness competition with service members. Cameras caught Hegseth and Kennedy struggling to do pull ups as the supposed “alpha-male” members of MAGA tried to play off the embarrassment.

Fox News later attempted to normalize “The Bobby and Pete Challenge,” by having Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in full workout attire attempt a round of pullups inside a gym. The former Real World cast member was seen with another grown man holding up his legs while he struggled with the move.

This show of “force” was just the latest in another facade that MAGA and the right-wing ecosystem likes to put on — a group of men that are anything but healthy and soaked in liquor, Zyn pouches, and Black Rifle Energy — and that’s the lie that they are living a healthy lifestyle when they’re cutting children’s cancer research and denying medical claims to veterans and active duty service members. People are struggling and they’re cosplaying as a tough guy on the news when they should be at the Pentagon doing their damn jobs of serving the public. There is nothing “alpha” about these men who put makeup on before Fox News hits and try to sell you a clean bill of health.

Beef tallow isn’t the key to you losing weight or being healthy. Eating in moderation, drinking in moderation, getting regular exercise, and practicing good sleeping habits is. Self-discipline is the key to being a healthy human being — not a pullup competition on Fox News.

4th & Democracy: Male Insecurity in the Media

We recently came across an episode of the Brilliant Idiots podcast featuring Andrew Schulz and Charlamagne tha God (Schulz was absent for this episode and filled in for by Lauren LoRosa) where they were discussing a clip from Stephen A. Smith’s podcast and a comment made by former Celtics Forward and NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce.

The gist of what Piece and Smith were saying in their respective comments was that “we” (as men) need to stop going after “9s and 10s” because they are high-maintenance. These grown millionaires stated that “we” need to go after “5s and 6s” because those are the women that are going to ride for you, cook and clean for you, and “hold you down.”

We usually reserve the 4th & Democracy slot for a pressing political issue but these seemed more pressing. Young men all across this country are being sold a lie that dominance and control are the most important masculine things you can be in a relationship with a woman — and it’s a lie.

Young men are inherently insecure. We grow up in social circles where our own friends belittle and bully us with names and slurs — even if all in the name of fun. At an age where young girls and women are more emotionally and physically mature than young men and boys, they act out and use behavior like appealing to authority in order to gain social standing.

It’s what Shannon Sharpe was doing when he had a relationship with a woman over half his age and ended up having a civil suit brought against him. It’s what Smith and Pierce are doing with their comments — appealing to the male ecosphere in order to gain a false sense of social standing.

Women aren’t beholden to a rating system to prove their worth through looks or ability to love. You create a 10. And you do it by loving her, showing up for her, going the extra mile and acknowledging her worth — not only to her, but to yourself. That is the woman that is going to “hold you down,” no matter how beautiful other men might think she is.

And that’s what’s important.

BOLO: Lack of Quality in Gaming

As you all have probably noticed — there is a lack of quality in some of the legacy franchises in gaming being released right now. Madden 26 is filled with bugs, missing stats, and has already hit discount deals. Discourse online surrounding the official NBA 2k26 trailer was not good and sales are looking to be underwhelming. And there has been a steep rise in cinematic scenes of recent releases — gaming companies are relying more on cutaway scenes and load screens in order to fill gameplay time.

There are some big games getting ready to hit — but beware how you’re spending on them.

What to Watch

Hostage - Netflix

An absolute banger of a show. This 5 episode miniseries on Netflix is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and keep your attention. The British Prime Minister and President of France are in tense negotiations over medical supplies when the husband of the British PM is kidnapped overseas. Talks heat up while blackmail, debauchery, and murder enter the equation.

First Draft: Your Look at the Headlines and the Journalists who Write Them w/ Susan Demas — Lincoln Square

The team at Lincoln Square, and our incredible executive editor Susan Demas, are proud to bring you First Draft—a weekly Substack show featuring in-depth conversations with some of the best journalists in the business. Last week’s debut episode welcomed Nina Burleigh, who joined Susan to dig into a topic on everyone’s mind right now: the Epstein files.

It’s sure to be an interesting talk every week, so be sure to subscribe to Lincoln Square now to get the latest episodes!

What to Read

Thomas Hobbes — Leviathan

First published in 1651, Hobbes’ Leviathan laid the groundwork for social contract theory — the idea that people trade freedoms for security under government. Hobbes warned that life without order would be “nasty, brutish, and short,” but his answer was a strong sovereign.

Why it matters now: In today’s U.S., where “leaders” push loyalty in exchange for safety, Hobbes helps us see both the appeal and the danger of surrendering too much.

You can download the book for free on the Apple Books app and find it available online in multiple locations.

Stay loud. Stay grounded. Stay up.