Trump’s WWE Theory of Politics

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Let’s begin by assuming you’re not planning to watch WrestleMania this weekend. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), with its ridiculous bombast and barbaric violence, has turned people off for decades. Yet its popularity—not to mention its profound influence on American culture and politics—persists. Below, I explain why.

But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.

• The election you shouldn’t look away from
• Something odd is happening with handbags.
• Childbirth is no fun. But an extremely fast birth can be even worse.

And you can find all our coverage of Donald Trump’s indictment here.

The Man in the Arena

WWE can be eerily prophetic. Had you watched , for instance, you would have seen a future