Luke Wechselberger chatted with #Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos about representing Montana in the 2026 Mister USA competition. The finals will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
American basketball coach Bobby Knight once said: “The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.” This quote applies to Luke Wechselberger.
Mister USA is an American beauty pageant, which is held annually, and the winner goes on to represent the United States in the Mister Universe competition. It is a celebration of culture, diversity, beauty, intelligence and empowerment.
It believes in the power of young leaders to make a difference in the world. It is not solely about outer beauty; it recognizes the inner beauty and intelligence of their contestants.
Competing in Mister USA 2026
On competing in this year’s Mister USA, he exclaimed, “I am thrilled. I came home from a six-month world trip, and I saw this DM from Mister USA, where they asked me if I wanted to be a part of their show because they liked my energy and vibe. After I interviewed with the CEO and got accepted, I am very much really looking forward to it.”
“I want to inspire other young men (especially those who are middle aged or older) and to be a shining light in their lives,” he acknowledged.
“I just want to be a strong, masculine figure for the youth. This is the perfect position and place to do that, and to represent that. Hopefully, I can inspire and motivate other people to be the strongest and best version of themselves. That’s basically what I’m out here to represent,” he explained.
Repping Montana
On representing Montana, he shared, “I’m actually from Washington state, but I have an affinity for Montana. I have done quite a few travels there on family road trips. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Montana and I really like the outback country vibe, the ranches and the horses. So, I totally vibe with the Montana culture.”
“I thought this would be a great state for me because I’m a cowboy at heart anyway,” he admitted. “So, I was happy that I was chosen to rep Montana in this year’s competition.”
“So, even though I wasn’t born and raised there, I really resonate with Montana’s culture and lifestyle,” he added.
Luke on why he should win Mister USA
When asked why he should win this year’s Mister USA competition, he remarked, “I am one of the older people competing this year. Also, I have had the privilege to travel to over 30 countries, build multiple businesses, and I’ve had the limelight in TV shows, all by the age of 33.”
“Over the years, I’ve grown and matured a lot emotionally, and I want to showcase all of that in this year’s Mister USA competition,” he added.
Advocacy for this year’s Mister USA
On his advocacy for this year’s Mister USA, he stated, “I definitely want to help young men discover their true masculine potential, and not get brainwashed by all the adverse effects of social media such as doom scrolling and rage bait.”
“I want people to see that I’m a guy who has been through quite a few struggles himself,” he said. “My real advocacy would tie into men’s mental health. This is a cause that hit home to me because my brother has been in a psych ward for five years, and my mother is in a psych ward right now.”
“I came home from my travels to spend time with my grandparents who are 89 and 93 respectively. So, I came home from Bali, Indonesia and Thailand and all this just to celebrate his birthday. So, family is a really big thing, but mental health is just running rampant in my family and in this country,” he elaborated.
“I want to let people know I’ve come from a difficult background and that I’ve had difficult mental health situations running in my family for nearly two decades. I just had to take over full legal guardianship of my brother because my parents are unable to do it, and my grandparents are elderly,” he expanded.
“So, I’m taking on big responsibilities to be the family man and to help with the mental illness cases. I’ve already spoken at a few mental health awareness summit events. A lot of people might look at me and say, ‘Oh, he’s dialed in. He’s in the gym. He’s looking good. He’s traveling the world and he’s got an online business,’ but they don’t know that I was created from the hardships and the pain.”
“If I was handed everything on a silver platter, it wouldn’t mean as much and it wouldn’t have the true depth,” he added.
Superpower of choice
If he were to have any superpowers, it would be to “time travel” (in the future and back in the past), as well as “teleportation.”
Success
Regarding his definition of success, he said, “Success is something that you have to train for every day.”
“Each day tests your power of success. If you’re not doing what you need to do, that’s an unsuccessful day. So, I really base success on compounding your efforts over time. In the end, success is never going to end because your success just has to keep going on and on. So, it’s just a battle. You have to fight every day,” he elaborated.
Closing thoughts on this year’s Mister USA
Luke remarked, “I want people to acquire a new sense of motivation and inspiration to just go and be the best versions of themselves. That’s what I want people to get away with from me competing in this year’s Mister USA.”
“Ultimately, inspiring people positively is what I want to really do at the end of the day,” he concluded.
To learn more about 2026 Mister Montana contender Luke Wechselberger, follow him on Instagram.
