Why MAGA rewards terrible dads

Having a big family isn’t the same thing as having a happy or healthy one, but don’t tell that to the MAGA dads shaping policy in the White House. For guys like Pete Hegseth and JD Vance, fatherhood often seems less about being present, supportive or loving, and more about how many kids they can claim as proof of traditional values. At a time when most families can barely afford to raise even one child, this obsession with big families feels tone-deaf at best and dangerous at worst. In this episode, I break down clips of conservative leaders talking about fatherhood and unpack what’s really behind the rhetoric: pro-natalism, Christian nationalism and the politics of control. I’m joined by Steve Kennedy of the People’s Parity Project. Follow his work here: https://peoplesparity.org and on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/peoplesparity.bsky.social Subscribe here on YouTube for more Standing Room Only, airing weekly Thursdays at 5 PM ET on YouTube. 🥳 Standing Room Only started as a newsletter. Join the party and get it in your inbox 2x a week by clicking here: https://www.salon.com/newsletter 🤓 Read Amanda Marcotte's writing on Salon.com here: https://www.salon.com/writer/amanda_marcotte 👍 Follow Amanda on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/amandamarcotte.bsky.social ✌️ Support Salon’s mission—become a member: https://www.salon.com/premium?utm_source=youtube-sro&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=become-a-member-ytsro 🎵 Like our Encore segment? Follow the Standing Room Only Playlist on Spotify to hear the full songs and more recommendations from Amanda: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5xGJv3dQ8BPbO2gMw53dvB