I’ll keep this short and simple. I’m keeping it simple by omitting from the discussion differences between the genders. And I’m keeping it short by limiting the discussion to a few comments buttressed by a few quotes.
Since Donald Trump burst onto the political scene nearly a decade ago, experts have continued to scratch their heads. How can a man so characterologically, psychologically, and intellectually deficient so strongly appeal to approximately half the American electorate?
To this question have been countless answers. One however has been largely or maybe even entirely absent. Trump is an alpha male. Even at his now advanced age he still looks like one, lumbers like one, and speaks like one. All that sound and fury spewing from his mouth is, I hate to break it to you, evocative of an alpha male.
So, why does this matter? Why would we be attracted to an alpha male so lacking in apparent virtues, especially in comparison with someone who is not an alpha male but who on paper at least is more qualified to lead?
Because we – we humans – are one of the great apes. Being a great ape does not mean that we are exactly like other great apes. But it does mean that we have some things in common. Such as longing to be led by someone who seems strong.
Our relatives include chimpanzees, to whom we humans, because we share a common ancestor, are closest. We share nearly 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees, which means that our genetic makeup is nearly identical. It cannot be, then, that the similarities stop there. That they are merely technical, without consequences for how they and we behave.
Humans are like chimpanzees (and countless other creatures) in that we, like they are social. We live in groups. Unlike humans who usually live in large groups, chimpanzees live in small groups of perhaps 20 to 50. Notwithstanding their small size, chimpanzee groups are like human groups in that they are organized hierarchically. Some chimps rank higher than others, while one, the leader, nearly invariably is an alpha male who ranks highest and rules the rest.
Historian Yuval Noah Harari: “The dominant member [of the chimpanzee group] who is almost always a male, is termed the alpha male. Other males and females exhibit their submission to the alpha male by bowing before him while making grunting sounds, not unlike human subjects bowing before a king.”*
Primatologist Frans de Waal: “[Among chimpanzees] the alpha male makes an impressive display… hitting anyone who doesn’t move out of the way in time. The display both draws attention to the male and impresses his audience…. Dominant males seem to keep track of [their underlings] because during their next round of display they sometimes single out parties who failed to acknowledge them for ‘special treatment’ to make sure that next time they won’t forget to greet.”**
Even assuming only slight similarities between chimpanzees and humans, among both great ape groups alpha males have forever been familiar figures. I’m not arguing that looking at Trump through the lens of a primatologist is the only way to understand his remarkable, and remarkably enduring political appeal. I am arguing that to exclude the primatologist’s perspective is to exclude an explanation of major not minor importance.
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*From his book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, p. 25.
**From his book, Our Inner Ape, pp. 57, 58.