President Donald Trump gestures as he attends UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
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.
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."
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.