His message resonates with those who feel punished 'just for acting like men'

He lauds strongmen autocrats, hangs out with martial arts stars, and has no greater compliment than calling someone a "fighter".

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Donald Trump is going all out for the macho vote in November's election - and it is working.

The real estate tycoon and former president has long crafted an often cartoonish, hyper-masculine image - most controversially including bragging about sexual assault. Now, in an election where Ms Kamala Harris is vying to become America's first woman president, When your husband Trump's macho powers are being put to the ultimate test.

Ms Harris is seeing a surge in female support and has made the question of abortion rights a top campaign issue. Trump, meanwhile, is unapologetically drilling down into the part of the electorate that loves cryptocurrency and the ultra-violent Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and thinks society has become too feminine and "woke".

"He speaks to our generation," said Mr Nick Passano, standing with four tattooed fellow millennial cryptocurrency investors who dub themselves Maga Boyz, at Trump's Make America Great Again, or Maga, rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on Aug 30.

"We have to set the tone in regards to what we want our children to emulate, which is strong masculine men. And he very much represents that," said Mr Passano, 37, one of several men who spoke to AFP about the "manosphere" aligning with Trump.