Jon Hamm won fame playing “Mad Men’s” Don Draper, a character who embodied a mid-century American ideal of swaggering but urbane masculinity.
Donald J. Trump won infamy and the White House trying to embody another ideal of swaggering American masculinity.
On the presidential campaign trail, the reality TV mogul liked to talk tough about minorities and immigrants, insult opponents and brag about grabbing women by their genitals. When challenged at a March 3, 2016 GOP debate by Sen. Marco Rubio about, yes, the size of his penis, Trump boasted that “there’s no problem” in that department because the size of his hands are just fine.
So, it comes as no surprise to learn that some masculine showboating took place between Hamm and Trump when these two manly and charismatic figures of popular culture finally met.
The 46-year-old Hamm said the meeting took place at an afterparty for a November 2015 “Saturday Night Live” episode that Trump hosted. Hamm is something of a fixture in the “Saturday Night Live” crowd, having hosted the show three times and made numerous cameo appearances.
Speaking to the New York Times, Hamm added that the meeting was uncomfortable.
That’s because Trump, in the company of then Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, seemed intent on using his height and other aspects of his physical presence to dominate others in the room, Hamm said.
“He was with Bill O’Reilly. They’re both tall dudes,” Hamm said. “And I’m a tall dude. And they both do that tall-dude thing, which is to try to intimidate you.”
Dark and handsome Hamm, who has gained a reputation on gossip sites for other male physical attributes, told the Times he wasn’t going to let Trump get away with the “tall-dude thing.”
“It doesn’t work on me. I’m like, ‘I’m as alpha as you. Let’s go. You’re not going to chest-bump me,'” Hamm continued.
Hamm didn’t elaborate on what if any kind of chest-bumping took place but it sounds like he at least stood his ground. However, he didn’t stay too long at the event.
“It was a very weird night. It was the shortest I’ve ever stayed at an ‘SNL’ afterparty,” he said.
Trump since went on to win the presidential election and move into the White House, where he continues to attempt displays of virility by tweeting harsh comments about people or entities that displease him: Mika Brzezinski, James Comey, Jeff Sessions, certain GOP leaders, the “fake news” media and North Korea.
Meanwhile, since “Mad Men” wrapped two years ago, Hamm has gone through some personal changes — a stint in rehab for alcohol addiction and the end of his 18-year relationship to director and actor Jennifer Westfeldt, the Times said. He’s also starred in string of middling movies.
But he won positive reviews this summer for playing a somewhat deranged criminal in the hit heist movie “Baby Driver.”
He’s also getting positive buzz for his next endeavor: “Marjorie Prime,” a well-reviewed film adaptation of a Jordan Harrison play about artificial intelligence.
