On October 5, 2020, Donald Trump came out onto the White House's iconic Truman Balcony and stood before the American people. Coming off the heels of a recent positive COVID-19 diagnosis just a few days prior, Trump made what he likely intended as a demonstration of his strength by removing his face mask and bravely placing it aside.

The next few minutes were some of the most telling of his presidency and, to me, one of the most interesting representations of American culture. Specifically, I believe this moment exemplifies the skewed idea of what Americans consider strength.

On the left is an iconic photograph from 1935, during a presidential election, where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stood on the same balcony. At that time, America was amidst the Great Depression. If the significance of this is not immediately clear, it is worth noting that Roosevelt was suffering from polio, a fact known only to him and his administration. To avoid appearing weak or unfit for office, Roosevelt’s administration prioritized hiding his diagnosis from the American people. The question is: should this be considered an act of strength?

I believe that Trump’s "FDR Moment" and the message it carried are emblematic of a deeper, damaged cultural mindset. It would be unfair to claim that this mindset is isolated to the president or even the American population as a whole. Strength is a natural instinct to pursue and showcase. However, I believe that Western culture’s obsession with work, productivity, and more has twisted the meaning of what we categorize as strength.

The United States is reportedly the most overworked developed nation in the world. It is the only developed nation that does not provide mandatory paid parental leave to new parents. On average, Americans work 137 more hours per year than Japanese workers, 260 more than British workers, and 499 more than French workers. Interestingly, if you ask Americans what they think of other countries' work habits, they’ll often say those countries don’t work enough!

This idea of always being the "strongest," “America number one!” and “USA! USA!” extends to other facets of American life, including government behavior, nationalism, lack of international cooperation, military spending, and their adamant protection of the right to bear arms—because nothing says strength like a gun. This mindset is often championed by the person who is supposed to be America’s best representative, their president.

Trump has a well-known history with the WWE, which epitomizes the posturing of false strength. He has disrespected American veterans, all while dodging the draft during the Vietnam War back in 1968. Trump also never apologizes, as that would be admitting defect, and that's not very strong, is it? It's better to stand rooted in whatever delusions you hold than to do something like that.

As a side note, Americans have been known to blame economic and social issues on immigrants and minorities as an easy scapegoat. In the past, it was African Americans with the War on Drugs; now, it’s Mexican immigrants with the War on Crime. Trump’s tendency to deflect or deny blame is not unique to him.

Returning to FDR: as the leader of a nation in economic turmoil, it was Roosevelt's self-appointed duty to show the world that America was strong, even when that narrative was being tested. Years later, the first and only images of Roosevelt in a wheelchair were released, and only then did the public learn the lengths to which his administration went to keep his illness a secret. He posed for any and all photos seated or leaning on a railing, smiling and waving to quell the fears of those who doubted his strength. And frankly, it worked for him, didn’t it?

So does it work for Trump? Decidedly not, as he soon found himself gasping through the photo op, struggling to breathe and racked with clear symptoms of COVID infection.

I pose the question again: Is that strength? Is it strong to rise out of a wheelchair and stand without crutches in front of the millions of people who look to you each day to represent a nation lauded as the strongest in the world? If so, is it also strong to disregard pandemic protocols and disparage medical professionals within your ranks, just to cater to a base that has historically undervalued education and intellectualism?

I made this piece to highlight the key similarities and differences between these two acts, and I’d like to have a discussion about what sets them apart and what still holds true, even 85 years later, about the Western idea of what "strength" really means.