US presidential leader prototypes and candidate profiles in relation to gender stereotypes during the Trump era

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine descriptions of the “ideal president” (IP) and US presidential candidates in relation to gender stereotypes in the three elections in which Donald Trump was the Republican Party candidate: 2016, 2020 and 2024. Design/methodology/approach Business students at a northeastern US university across the three elections (n = 1,191) described either the IP or a particular candidate on measures of masculinity and femininity and stated their preferred presidential candidate. Androgyny (balanced levels of masculinity and femininity) scores were calculated from these measures. Findings Contrary to our hypothesis, the IP was described as displaying an androgynous rather than masculine leadership profile in the 2024 election. As hypothesized, respondents who preferred different candidates described the IP in terms that were consistent with the leadership profile of their preferred candidate across the three elections. Respondents' descriptions of the IP also differed according to their gender and the intersection of their gender and race/ethnicity. Research limitations/implications Respondents were predominately young, Caucasian and Democratic-leaning business students, which limited the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications An appropriate goal for organizations is to develop and maintain an inclusive culture with respect to political beliefs to avoid negative workplace consequences associated with the sharp political divide in the US and many other nations. Originality/value The study increases our understanding of the linkage between gender stereotypes and leader prototypes in an increasingly polarized political context.