Vice President JD Vance kicked off the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, by highlighting some of the Trump administration's victories so far, issuing a compelling message to young men, and defending his controversial Munich speech, the mere mention of which prompted a standing ovation.
Vance broke thin skin with his Feb. 14 speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany where he suggested that Britain and various European nations were goose-stepping toward tyranny and abandoning along the way the values they once shared in common with the United States.
In addition to expressing disappointment over continental authorities' suppression of political movements and undesirable facts as well as their routine attacks on religious liberties, the vice president blasted the European political establishment for its ruinous mass migration policies.
Former Trump White House staffer Mercedes Schlapp revisited the Munich speech and pressed Vance at CPAC to comment further on what he regards as the greatest threats to Europe.
'No more of this BS.'
The vice president indicated that up until Trump's inauguration, the U.S. and Europe faced a similar problem: "You've had the leaders of the West decide that they should send millions and millions of unvetted foreign migrants into their countries."
"That is the biggest threat to Europe, and frankly, it remains, by the way, the biggest threat to the United States," continued Vance, "because yes, we've got four years of President Trump's leadership, but I guarantee you if the Democrats ever get power again, they're going to try to do it again."
Vance stressed that "we cannot rebuild Western civilization, we cannot rebuild the United States of America or Europe by letting millions and millions of unvetted illegal migrants come into our country. It has to stop. Thank God it stopped here, but it's got to stop there."
Doubling down on one of the key points in his Munich speech — one that bent Germany's socialist defense minister and various other European officials out of shape — the vice president suggested that in order to end such ruinous policies, citizens' freedom to say "no more of this B.S." must be protected.
This is certainly not the case in Germany, a nation adversely impacted by mass migration whose capital city is once again a dangerous place for Jews and homosexuals, this time on account of foreign-born populations. Just last year, a member of the Alternative for Germany Party was convicted of a "hate crime" for simply sharing statistics about the disproportionate number of gang rapes committed by immigrants, Afghan nationals in particular.
Vance indicated that rather that continue to follow the example of former President Joe Biden "into censorship and mass migration," Europeans should "follow the lead of Donald J. Trump — and that's free speech, borders, and sovereignty. That is the future of our shared civilization."
'We actually think God made male and female for a purpose.'
According to Vance, the strength of America's alliances with European nations will largely depend on what direction they wish to take, noting that "friendship is based on shared values."
After suggesting continentals should get their act together, delineating his core Christian beliefs as a Catholic, and articulating the Trump administration's pro-natalist vision for the future, Vance effectively told young American men — a cohort that majoritively voted for Trump in 2024 — to get off the sidelines and to play for keeps.
"I think that our culture sends a message to young men that you should suppress every masculine urge, you should try to cast aside your family, you should try to suppress what makes you a young man in the first place," said Vance. "Don't allow this broken culture to send you a message that you're a bad person because you're a man, because you like to tell a joke, because you like to have a beer with your friends, or because you're competitive."
Vance noted while there are forces at work keen to "turn everybody, whether male or female, into androgynous idiots who think the same, talk the same, and act the same, we actually think God made male and female for a purpose, and we want you guys to thrive as young men, and as young women, and we're going to help with our public policy to make it possible to do that."
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President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 5 banning male transvestites from competing in girls' or women's sports. After noting that "men claiming to be girls have stolen more than 3,500 victories" and have "invaded more than 11,000 competitions designed for women," Trump said that "from now on, women's sports will be only for women."
In defiance of Trump's order — which reflected the desire of the supermajority of Americans, as indicated by a 2023 Gallup poll — the Maine Principals' Association, the governing body for sports in the state, and the Maine Department of Education decided to let middling male athletes continue to steal victories from their female counterparts.
A subpar male athlete from Greely High School in Cumberland proved more than willing on Monday to take full advantage, stealing first place in the girls' pole-vault competition at the Maine Indoor Track Meet.
'This is outrageous.'
The 10th-grader, who the Maine Wire indicated previously competed in boys' pole vaulting under the name John, now calls himself Katie.
The male athlete formerly known as John jumped 11 feet, beating his female competitors but missing the state record set last year by Sarah Ouellette of Morse High School by an inch.
Had the transvestic teen competed against other males in the same competition, he would have reportedly come in 10th place.
"Another day, another instance of an unremarkable biological male athlete (who couldn't win against other males) dominating girls' sports," wrote Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby.
"The Maine Principals' Association's blatant disregard for federal rules means that deserving, BIOLOGICAL girls, have titles ripped away from them. This is outrageous, and unfair to the many female athletes who work every single day to succeed in their respective sports," added Libby.
Allen Cornwall, a concerned coach from Scarborough High School, anticipated that the pole-vaulter formerly known as John would clean up in the girls' competition, telling the Maine Wire earlier this month that the 10th-grader was going to be the girls' conference "champion" and "state champion."
"These girls that have been competing for years, working towards this, are just being sidelined, and it's really disgusting," said Cornwall.
Maine is at risk of losing federal education funding for continuing to betray female athletes, defying Trump's order, and likely violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
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I remember the smell of cigarette smoke in the 1990s. It was the last time in America when you might smell cigarettes in a bar or a restaurant. It’s a smell that always reminds me of my childhood.
Nostalgia. Memories. The world that was. The world we saw, heard, and smelled.
Those were the smells of our dads. Cigarettes, beer, liquor, gasoline, sawdust, the garage. They make me smile.
I sound like an old-timer memorializing another era. But it was only yesterday, wasn't it?
Thirty years ago now.
My dad smoked. Marlboro Lights. I remember standing next to him in the gas station countless times. “Gas on pump two, and two packs of Marlboro Lights in the box.” That’s what he would always say. He would motion to the boxes with his hand or lean over the counter a little as he asked in a voice he never used at home.
He smoked in the car. The window cracked, his elbow on the door, the cigarette hanging right above the glass. I could smell it so faintly in the back seat. Just barely.
I remember late at night, on long road trips, the sight of that orange ember on the end of the cigarette in the dark night. The green lights of the dashboard and his hand on the steering wheel.
My dad didn’t smoke in the house. He would stand at the door to the garage. Crack it about six inches with his hand on the doorframe so the smoke wouldn’t come in. The smell of Stroh’s, cigarette smoke, and cold air. I remember standing in the kitchen talking to my dad right there. The smell of all those things together. That’s a memory.
My grandparents smoked, too. Salems. They bought them in the carton. They smoked inside the house. We didn’t live too far away, and we visited them often. Sometimes we would stay over the weekend.
I remember my grandpa standing in the kitchen frying eggs in an electric frying pan, an ashtray on the counter and a burning cigarette turning to ash. The smell of syrup and bacon grease, smoke and coffee. Still in my pajamas.
My grandparents drank 7&7s at night. I would watch my dad sitting with my grandpa, smoking and drinking. The sweet smell of the 7-Up tainted by the unappealing, all-too-adult scent of Seagram's. The look of the sweaty glass. Cigarette smoke in the air.
These are old memories, places I haven't been to in years. Moments I can’t find in a picture or a video. But certain smells linger. They connect to some place behind my eyes, and I am there again. My grandpa and my dad. The smell of cigarettes.
My wife’s dad smoked. Basics. He worked out in the garage a lot. For her, it’s sawdust mixed with the smell of Basics and the faint aroma of Bud Light. Those are her memories, her dad. I knew my wife in high school. I remember walking through that garage and saying a quick “hi” to her dad as he stood back there behind his workbench.
Those were the smells of our dads. Cigarettes, beer, liquor, gasoline, sawdust, the garage. They make me smile. Our dads; they seem so big when we are little. They seem so grown and so old.
I am his age now. Do I loom so large over my son? Those smells felt so familiar, yet so strange and unappealing at the same time. Beer and cigarettes don’t sound good when you are little kid, but they are the smell of your dad.
My dad always smoked when he was working on some home improvement project. I close my eyes and I can see him putting all his weight on a screwdriver with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Muttering profanities under his breath, cursing the cheap screws.
My son won’t have the same scent memories that I do. His grandfather doesn’t smoke in the kitchen over a pan of fried eggs. His dad doesn’t request the smoking section when we go out to eat. There aren’t any smoking sections any more. Some of his memories will be the same as mine, but not these. Those scents are from another time.
Yeah, we all know that cigarettes aren’t the healthiest thing in the world. I’m sick of hearing about it. I’m starting to think there are a lot worse things than a pack of butts, if we are being honest.
I’ve become anti-anti-smoking.
Those scent memories that still hang deep in my nose remind me of being a kid and looking up at my dad. How he held his cigarette between his fingers and how he brought it to his lips. Feeling so little and like nothing would ever happen to me because my dad would always protect me. Like everything would always be OK. I miss the smell of cigarettes.
The New Year is here, a time for people to make vague resolutions about being better, healthier, and more respectable. Yet few follow through because these goals lack clarity and purpose.
For the men reading this, let me suggest something tangible, transformative, and essential: Learn to fight.
Growing up in Ireland, I was all talk and no action — a sharp tongue but very little ability to back it up. After a string of schoolyard beatings, my father enrolled me in boxing lessons.
Not because it’s trendy or because you’re gearing up for a postapocalyptic scenario (though that’s not entirely out of the question). It’s because fighting is one of the few skills that strengthens both mind and body while reconnecting you with the essence of being a man.
American men today are in crisis — statistically, socially, and spiritually. They are 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide than women, with nearly a third of men under 30 having no long-term partner or relationship. Many feel lost and alienated, unsure of their role in a world that increasingly sidelines traditional masculinity.
Adding to this crisis, physical fitness has plummeted. Obesity rates among men are soaring. Forget about throwing a punch — many can barely bend over to tie their laces without throwing up. This physical decline mirrors the emotional and social malaise, leaving countless men feeling powerless and disconnected from their own bodies.
The traits that once defined manhood — resilience, physical strength, and the ability to protect — have faded into the background. This disconnect has resulted in a generation of men who feel adrift, living lives devoid of purpose.
If our forefathers could see us now, they’d be horrified — perhaps even repulsed. The men who built civilizations with their hands, defended their communities, and carried themselves with pride would struggle to recognize the soft, aimless slobs that many have become today.
Historically, fighting was integral to being a man — not just for survival but as a core part of identity. It symbolized strength, courage, and the ability to protect and provide. Kings didn’t simply inherit their crowns; they earned them on the battlefield, leading their warriors and defending their realms.
To rule was to fight, to endure, and to stand tall in the face of danger. The Greeks understood this better than most, immortalizing combat in the Olympic Games with wrestling, boxing, and pankration — a brutal mix of wrestling and striking. These sports weren’t just entertainment; they were sacred, embodying the ideal of physical and mental excellence. In short, they separated the men from the boys.
Even Aeschylus, one of the greatest tragedians in history, was more celebrated in his lifetime for his valor as a soldier than for his literary masterpieces. To the Greeks, martial prowess was a defining virtue. It spoke to discipline, honor, and the ability to confront adversity with both strength and grace.
In today’s world, the need for these skills has been buried under Netflix queues, Uber Eats orders, and endless scrolling. The warriors of today aren’t found on battlefields; they’re keyboard crusaders, firing off Twitter tirades, wearing nothing but a scowl (or a smirk) and a pair of sweatpants.
Yet behind the online bravado lies a glaring void — a lack of real-world readiness. The ability to defend yourself, your loved ones, or even a stranger on the subway equips you to face life’s challenges with clarity and grit.
Learning to fight isn’t about chasing conflict; it’s about being ready for the battles life will inevitably throw at you. Because life, for all its beauty, is also a relentless war of attrition — chipping away at your friends, family, and freedoms one small piece at a time.
I speak from experience. Growing up in Ireland, I was all talk and no action — a sharp tongue but very little ability to back it up. After a string of schoolyard beatings, my father enrolled me in boxing lessons.
At first, I resisted. After all, who wants to endure bloody noses, black eyes, and aching muscles? But over time, the training reshaped me. I didn’t just grow stronger physically; I became more confident. Fighting taught me control and gave me a sense of self-worth I hadn’t known before.
But boxing was just the beginning. Years later, I traveled to Thailand to train in Muay Thai, the “Art of Eight Limbs.” Unlike boxing, which relies on fists, Muay Thai turns your entire body into a weapon. Elbows, knees, shins, and fists all come into play.
Originating as a battlefield technique, Muay Thai evolved into a sport deeply rooted in respect and ritual. Fighters begin their training young, often as boys, and learn to honor their coaches, their opponents, and the history of the art. They begin as students, then rise to become masters.
But as I have discussed before, you don’t need to travel halfway across the world to find your strength. America is full of boxing gyms, MMA schools, and self-defense classes. The problem isn’t access — it’s a lack of drive and ambition. It’s laziness, fueled by too much comfort and too little challenge.
So, gentlemen, let 2025 be the year you break free from the confines of your comfort zone and dare to reclaim your manhood. Train. Fight. Raise those fists and awaken the warrior within.
If you told me even 10 years ago that I would be writing for a conservative publication like Align, I would have chuckled. Had you told me that I would be writing about issues of concern to men, about what men are and what they need, I would have guffawed.
Until about eight years ago, I was a typical liberal gay guy. Democrat, leftist, feminist. Wait — don’t close your browser tab!
If you had a good mother, you will likely pick good women. If you had a wicked mother, the women you pick will be disasters.
I understand the urge; people like me helped lay waste to American culture for a long time. But as Irving Kristol said of himself, I was mugged by reality over these last eight years. I came out on the other side as a conservative and a traditionalist.
For decades, our culture has been trying to turn men into women and women into men. Because of that, some of you may not be well-disposed to hear an argument in favor of psychotherapy for men.
But what we call “therapy” in 2024 is actively anti-therapeutic. Instead of challenging and helping patients become more whole and self-reliant, what’s called “therapy” today is closer to brainwashing and deliberate handicapping.
Instead of teaching clarity and self-reliance, too many practitioners foist leftist social justice ideology onto patients. At absolute best, most of this is merely an expensive hour with someone to complain to — someone who will respond by cooing over you and telling you you’re perfect as you are.
At worst, especially if you’re a man, you’ll be told it’s your “male privilege” making you miserable, and wouldn’t you be a better person if you were more feminine?
But there is real therapy that can help people who need it, and some genuinely do. I’d like to help give you the best chance of finding it if it would be helpful to you.
Who needs therapy? People like me and maybe people like you. I was raised in a home headed by a mother with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. If you are tempted to write these terms off as “psychobabble,” I ask you to take them seriously.
They are very real, and people with them are some of the most deranged and often abusive types you will ever come across. Though it is not a perfect analogy to my childhood, if you’ve read the book or seen the movie "Mommie Dearest," you grasp the gist of what my life was like as a child (minus the money and fame).
Those of us raised this way come out extremely damaged. We have trouble having normal emotions, we hate ourselves even if we don’t know it consciously, and we’re prone to making terrible life choices. I became an alcoholic in my teens and did not quit drinking until my mid-40s (I’m 50 now). Many have walked a similar road, and many have had it much worse.
If you are a man who had an abusive mother, the effects are profound. The mother is the most important figure in a child’s life; her care and affection cannot be replaced by a substitute.
When she is deranged or abusive, your entire view of yourself, of other men, of women, is distorted. It does not matter if you’re straight or gay — all men “marry” their mothers eventually. Gay men do it through intensely close platonic female friendships while straight men romance or marry a version of their mothers.
If you had a good mother, you will likely pick good women. If you had a wicked mother, the women you pick will be disasters.
This is what genuine psychotherapy is for. Most addictions and patterns of self-destructive behavior are rooted in a lack of stable, sane childhood homes. We are all responsible for the choices we make in adulthood, and only we can steer our lives. But those of us from profoundly abusive or neglectful homes have to do extra work later in life to learn what “normal” is.
It is true that therapy is not the answer to everything, and what we call therapy today is, let’s say, “overprescribed.” But the fallout from that is that there are many people, including men, who really can benefit from proper psychotherapy who have been scared off from the concept because the whole field has gone femi-woke.
How do you find a “real” therapist? I can’t give you a formula that promises success. Pickings are slim. But I’ve been in real psychotherapy for six years with an old school, no-nonsense guy, and it’s been a genuine help. My appointments are also less frequent than they used to be; I’m not advocating being on the couch for decades.
While I am not a degreed mental health practitioner, I do offer consulting/coaching (“counseling,” if you prefer) to clients who have personality disordered people affecting their lives. I’m a well-read and knowledgeable layman with experience, and that’s what I offer to those who book time with me.
One of the most common questions from my clients is how to find a good therapist and avoid woke practitioners. Here is what I suggest:
Therapy is not a fix for everything. There’s a lot of wisdom in the notion that getting engaged in activities in the real world with other men can do wonders for a man with a broken spirit.
I just bought my first shotgun and had my first of many trips to the shooting range; this is my way of bringing some masculine balance into my life that has been missing. Besides, I live in the country, we have bears, and I’m not relying on cops to save my own hide.
Maybe balance for you, the man reading this, is giving real therapy a shot.
Nike’s big celebration of women is actually demeaning.
'If federal policies promote such an obvious falsehood that men can become women, the government will forfeit all credibility.'
An absent father and unfaithful husband, Odysseus returns to Ithaca with one last chance, as Jordan Peterson would say, to clean his room.
As Screwtape told Wormwood, 'The aim is to guide each sex away from those members of the other with whom spiritually helpful, happy, and fertile marriages are most likely.'
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