Exclusive — Sen. Josh Hawley: Men Must ‘Reject the Lies of the Left, Embrace Who They Are Called to Be’

Men must fight back against the political left’s anti-family agenda and the culture’s demonization of traditional masculinity by embracing biblical manhood and reclaiming their roles as “protectors and providers,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Breitbart News on Sunday.

Hawley, who wrote a recently released book called Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs, detailed during an interview in West Palm Beach, Florida, how the left has sought to gain cultural control of the United States by convincing men that traditional masculinity is “toxic,” which ultimately weakens them and, by extension, the nuclear family.

“Control. What they want is control of this country,” Hawley said. “And independent men, just like independent women, strong families together, they are a barrier to the left’s control because moms and dads who stand together, they’re the ones who want to raise their kids and not let government do it. They’re the ones who want to protect their kids, not Big Tech.”

“So if you put moms and dads together in strength again, the left would not be able to run roughshod over this country in the way that they are trying to do,” he continued. “They wouldn’t transform our culture in the way that they are trying to do. That’s why they hate the idea of having strong men out there.” 

Hawley, a professing Christian, said that contrary to the culture’s view that masculinity is “always toxic,” biblical masculinity encourages goodness and strength.

“I think the cultural view is that manhood and masculinity [are] always toxic. That’s what the left says, that manhood is like cancer; it’s always bad. And the truth is, nothing could be more wrong,” he said. “We need men who are strong, who are responsible, who are protectors and providers, and that’s really what [my] book is about.” 

When asked about what data showing a rise in singlehood among young men, declining marriage rates, and falling birth rates say about the state of manhood in the United States, Hawley said those statistics can be partly blamed on how “confused” men are about their roles in society. 

“For one thing, they are working less; they are spending more time at home. I think it’s a lot of things, but number one, I think they are totally confused about what it is they are supposed to be doing as men because the left has told them that to be a man is a bad thing,” he said. 

“The left has told them that they should just live at home, spend all their time on their computers, don’t date anybody. I mean, it’s crazy the cultural signals that the left has sent. What we need to say to young men is if you really want to matter in life, get a job, get married, start a family, contribute something to this country,” he continued. 

When asked what role women play in the current culture’s definition of what it means to be a man, Hawley credited his wife, Erin Hawley — a powerhouse attorney who recently won a major free speech case in the Supreme Court — with showing him that “strong women want a strong man.”

“For women, I think of something my wife says to me all the time — and I’m married to an incredibly strong woman who is out there defending the unborn, out there fighting for liberty for the most vulnerable in our society — and what she says to me all the time is ‘strong women want a strong man,’ that ‘no strong woman wants another baby to take care of,”‘ he said. 

“And I think part of what we need women to do is to say to men, ‘Hey, we need you to take on responsibility. Come on, be a protector, be a provider, stand up, and be a contributor like you were meant to be,'” he continued. “I think men have to reject the lies of the left, embrace the truth of who they are called to be, and that will change this country.” 

Left-leaning corporate media outlets have not responded favorably to Hawley’s book and his promotion of biblical manhood, but Hawley said he takes the negativity in stride. 

“Oh, I love it so much. I love it when the left-wing media comes after you because what they’re saying is they don’t believe in masculinity. They hate the fact that I’m defending it. They hate the fact that I talk about the Bible, That, of course, they are completely against. They think that is so offensive,” he said.

“And the truth is, I’m just telling the truth. I’m telling the truth about what we need young men in this country to do. I’m telling the truth about the significance of their lives,” he continued. “Young men, my message to them is, they have an incredible destiny on their lives. They can change the future of their families and this nation if they will stand up, take responsibility, and be good strong men, and the left hates that message — but boy, it’s the right one.”

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Twitter @thekat_hamilton.