Rob O'Neill to Newsmax: Masculinity 'Back' With Trump in White House

Rob O'Neill, a former Navy SEAL, said Monday on Newsmax that masculinity is making a comeback in American culture — and he credits former President Donald Trump for the shift.

O'Neill, known for firing the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, praised Trump's influence on military and cultural values during an appearance on "American Agenda."

"Well, there's been a loss of masculinity, at least as far as social media and the left-leaning media is concerned," O'Neill said. "It's all about, you know, Get more feminine. Women are tough. Men should be weak, when the truth is — we want masculinity."

O'Neill highlighted public figures such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and former Green Beret Tim Kennedy as examples of men speaking out to support strong military values and traditional masculinity.

"We want Pete Hegseth to be talking about what's going on in the military," O'Neill said. "There have been guys like Tim Kennedy out there on social media with a great following, putting out great stuff, too."

He pointed to Trump's willingness to appear at culturally significant and masculine-coded events as an example of leadership that resonates with many Americans.

"Just to see President Trump show up where he showed up — at the wrestling tournament watching a second lieutenant win the title, and everywhere Trump goes: the Daytona 500, the UFC, wrestling matches, places where other people won't go," O'Neill said.

He criticized political leaders who are out of touch with this cultural shift.

"You get guys like Gov. [Tim] Walz, a coach who I guarantee you can't even throw a football," O'Neill said. "I'd love to see him throw out the first pitch at a baseball game. Can't do it."

O'Neill said the military should return to its core functions and avoid distractions.

"They're making everything more complicated, and they're coming up with really, really bad ideas when all you need to do is master the basics," he said. "The military's job is to go in and be tough ... kill people, break things, and then leave. Save the diplomatic stuff for the diplomats."

He added that government spending and foreign aid programs have undermined military priorities, while conservative voices like Elon Musk are now being targeted.

"They hate Elon Musk more than they hate Donald Trump now," O'Neill said. "We're going against the way they're stealing so much money from the taxpayer."

O'Neill said deterrence, not diplomacy, should be the foundation of American strength abroad.

"You can win a lot of fights just by other people knowing that you're tough," he said. "The military just needs to go places. It doesn't even need to shoot — just deterrence of us being there ... the aircraft carriers, the tanks, special forces, stuff like that. We got it. We're getting it back. And I think we're going to be good."

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