The UFC event held on the White House grounds for President Donald Trump’s birthday generated no shortage of controversy before it took place, and now, in the aftermath, a wildly offensive remark from one of the fighters is dominating the headlines — and per a report from CNN, we also know how Trump reacted to it.
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In the face of severe thunderstorm warnings in Washington, D.C, and the threat of major bug swarms, UFC Freedom 250 took place on Sunday night, featuring a card previously criticized as lackluster by mixed martial arts fans. Following his victory in a heavyweight bout over Derrick Lewis, former football player Josh Hokit was interviewed in the ring by commentator Joe Rogan, and shared a hugely controversial insult against former First Lady Michelle Obama.
“Shout-out to Trump for having the balls to put some s—— like this on,” Hokit said, before later adding, “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?”
As the Daily Beast noted in a report about the remark, “Right-wing conspiracy theorists have baselessly claimed for years that the former first lady is a man.”
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As part of CNN’s live coverage of the MMA event, reporter Alejandra Jaramillo revealed what appeared to be Trump’s reaction to Hokit’s off-color remark, with the president seeming to be amused.
“President Donald Trump was seen smiling briefly cage-side after UFC fighter Josh Hokit made a false and offensive remark about former first lady Michelle Obama during his post-fight speech,” Jaramillo wrote “In a brief moment captured on camera, Trump, seated first row at the ‘Octagon,’ appeared to show a half-smile seconds after the false remark, which has previously circulated online. A mixture of cheers and boos rippled through the crowd.”
The Daily Beast noted further that the UFC shared an edited clip of Hokit’s post-match remarks, “which only included an insult about fellow fighter Alex Pereira’s mother.” Promotion CEO Dana White said later in the night that he, a staunch Republican and Trump ally, did not agree with Hokit’s insult, though he also noted that he has not sanctioned fighters in the past for similarly offensive remarks.
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