Why "he fights" works

Ace highlights an interview with Norman Podhoretz about his reason for liking President Trump and his style.
That's one of the things--it may be the main thing--that explains his political success. It doesn't explain his success in general, but his political success, yes. Also--I often explain this to people--when I was a kid, you would rather be beaten up than back away from a fight. The worst thing in the world you could be called was a sissy. And I was beaten up many times. Trump fights back. The people who say: "Oh, he shouldn't lower himself," "He should ignore this," and "Why is he demeaning himself by arguing with some dopey reporter?"
I think on the contrary--if you hit him, he hits back; and he is an equal opportunity counter puncher. It doesn’t matter who you are. And actually Obama, oddly enough, made the same statement: "He pulls a knife, you pull a gun."