Donald Trump gave a speech at Youngstown State University on Monday laying out his vision for foreign policy, fighting immigration and preventing terrorism.

Here are four lines from Trump and his allies that play on gender stereotypes either in Trump's case, in a positive way, or in Clinton's case, in a negative way.

Is Donald Trumpplaying to stereotypes that a woman can't be commander in chief? Here are 4 phrases that raise the question.

By Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com

Aug. 17, 2016

During a campaign appearance in Youngstown this week, Donald Trump and his allies used plenty of language reminding voters that he is a tough guy who's up for the challenges the world presents.

As for Hillary Clinton?

She lacks the "mental and physical stamina" Trump said.

This language, while toned down from earlier this year, highlights the brash masculinity of Trump, who is six-foot-one and was a good athlete in his younger days.

The flip side of that is it calls attention to the fact that Clinton, the first female presidential candidate from a major political party, is a woman.

Is Trump trying to appeal to voters who harbor doubts about whether a woman is up to the job of being president?

Let's take a look.

(Photo by Gerald Herbert, Associated Press)

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Photo by Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

'Big, tough guys'

While introducing Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence this week, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani referred to the pair as “tough guys” who are capable of handling unfair treatment from the media.

“When they fight the press, it’s not because they’re thin-skinned or can’t take it,” Giuliani said. “They’re both big, tough guys who have been through a lot. They can take a lot. Nothing’s going to hurt them.”

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'Broad-shouldered vision'

During his introduction of Trump Monday, Pence used the phrase “broad shouldered’ to describe Trump’s approach to the presidency.

Pence has used the line repeatedly since he was named Trump’s running mate last month.

“Donald Trump knows that America needs to be strong for the American people, and for the world to be safe,” Pence said. “… In the place of the rudderless and aimless foreign policy of the recent past, you will hear today a broad-shouldered vision to confront our enemies, restore our security, and once again have America command the respect of the world.”

(Photo by Gerald Herbert, Associated Press)

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'She lacks the physical and mental stamina'

During his introduction, Giuliani referred to Trump’s “intellect” and “stamina.”

Trump, on the other hand, flipped the phrase around on Clinton.

“Incident after incident shows again and again that Hillary Clinton lacks the judgment, temperament, stability and moral character to lead our nation,” Trump said.

For good measure, he added: “Importantly, she also lacks the mental and physical stamina to take on ISIS and all of the many adversaries we face.”

By talking about her "physical stamina," Trump not only is playing on Clinton's gender, but her age too. (Conspiracy theories regarding Clinton's health have been disseminated through conservative media lately, and Trump has encouraged them.) By the way, Clinton is 68, while Trump, who would be the oldest person ever elected president if he wins, is 70.

(Photo by Gerald Herbert, Associated Press)

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'The American Angela Merkel'

Trump on Monday criticized Clinton for previously saying she would increase the number of Syrian refugees from 10,000 to 65,000.

As such, he described Clinton as “America’s Angela Merkel,” naming the German chancellor whose government accepted hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country last year.

A top adviser to Trump referenced Merkel again by name in a follow-up email to reporters following Monday’s event.

Merkel, while criticized by some conservative activists for her pro-immigration policies, is not well-known to average Americans. (In 2010, a Pew Research Center survey found that just 2 percent of Americans could identify Merkel, who was elected in 2005, as the leader of Germany.)

But, like Clinton, she is a woman.

“It's unclear why he is hitting the German Chancellor so hard, unless he is trying to say Hillary will also welcome immigrants because women are soft-hearted on the plight of people who are in poverty and have lost their homeland,” said Mary Anne Sharkey, a Cleveland-based political consultant who has worked for both Republicans and Democrats. “But I have no idea how that plays out to the voters since I sincerely doubt they have focused on immigration in Germany.”

(Photo by Markus Schreiber, dpa via Associated Press)

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Strategic ambiguity

Trump lately hasn’t used more explicit gender-related attacks on Clinton — he has apparently phased out a line accusing Clinton of “playing the woman card.” (He also hasn’t joked about the size of his manhood lately, as he did during a March presidential debate during the Republican primary.)

Jerry Miller, an Ohio University professor who studies gender and political communication, said Trump is well-versed in “strategic ambiguity.”

“He’s not making a direct attack against Secretary Clinton because of her being a female running for president,” Miller said. “But drawing attention to aspects of her character, as well as her physical stamina, does kind of play into stereotypical thinking that could be present in his constituents.”

“He doesn’t need to make those direct attacks,” Miller added. “[His supporters] are going to be filling in those blanks for him."

On the other side of that coin, Miller said, Trump and his team subtly are arguing he provides the opposite: strength and masculinity.

Sharkey, the Cleveland political consultant, suspects that Trump’s speech — and his allies’ rhetoric this week — are the product of campaign research showing men are perceived to be tougher in foreign affairs than women are.

Sharkey said Trump likely now is avoiding using explicitly sexist language — although she said the “mental and physical stamina” line comes close — because of the risk he would face of further alienating female voters.

Still, she said Trump faces a possible backlash from women even by approaching the line.

“I think there’s a strong risk, but it will be up to Hillary to let women voters know what he’s saying,” Sharkey said. “His audience is mainly Rush Limbaugh listeners — it’s a white, male base. It’s baffling to me that he keeps reaching out to his base when he needs to broaden his support.”

(Photo by Evan Vucci, Associated Press)

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Spokesman: Trump empowers women through his company

The Trump campaign did not address the language used in Trump's speech, but issued a statement that in part criticized Clinton for her foundation's acceptance of money from countries in the Middle East that "brutalize" women.

Campaign officials said Trump empowers women through his businesses, and that his proposals to cut taxes and provide a tax deduction for childcare will help women, too.

"Donald Trump is a recognized business leader long known for promoting women to top positions in his company far before that became the norm," Bob Paducik, Trump's Ohio director, said in the statement. "By contrast, Hillary Clinton has a long track record of mixing pro-women words with anti-women actions."

(Photo by Evan Vucci, Associated Press)