Dana White called a UFC fighter’s Michelle Obama insult ‘nonsense.’ The White House isn’t commenting on it

Josh Hokit walks through the Green Room of the White House before his heavyweight bout during UFC Freedom 250 on June 15. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Reuters via CNN Newsource

Less than 24 hours after a UFC fighter used a highly publicized White House match to lob a false insult at former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and President Dana White called it “nasty and false,” dismissing it as “nonsense.”

The White House did not follow suit.

President Donald Trump was seen smiling briefly Sunday after UFC fighter Josh Hokit made a false and offensive remark about the former first lady during his post-fight speech at the White House. Hokit praised Trump for hosting the fight, before adding: “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man. Am I right, America?”

A mixture of cheers and boos rippled through the crowd. The false remarks about Obama have previously circulated online.

White told Time magazine in a text message Monday: “I understand that the Obama’s are public figures but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families. Everyone knows my position on free speech but I hate that kind of nonsense.”

A UFC spokesperson directed CNN to White’s comment. They did not respond when asked whether Hokit had been disciplined over the remark.

In response to an inquiry from CNN’s Jake Tapper about Hokit’s comments, White House communications director Steven Cheung said the UFC fighter “had a great win last night. He showed toughness and the ability to pressure his opponent both on his feet and on the ground.”

The White House declined to respond when pressed by Tapper on how officials square their refusal to criticize the disparaging remarks against Obama when they protest insults against first lady Melania Trump.

Hokit’s remark prompted dismay even among some Trump supporters who had previously defended the UFC fight and other White House-directed events billed as part of a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

“The fighter yelling ‘Michelle Obama is a man,’ at an official White House event to honor America is utterly unacceptable and the administration should (denounce) it in no uncertain terms,” Fox News columnist David Marcus wrote on X.

“I’ve defended the administration’s America 250 plans, because I trusted they really would be non partisan, really would bring us together. But I was wrong. And it sucks,” he added in a follow-up post.

President Trump himself has ridiculed Obama. Earlier this year, Trump refused to apologize after posting and then deleting a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and the former first lady as apes in a jungle, insisting he hadn’t seen the final frames containing the offensive content and blaming a staffer for the mistake.

In remarks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Michelle Obama said, “For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two highly educated successful people, who happen to be Black.”

On Monday, the Democratic Party’s X account posted an image of Obama smiling, writing: “Michelle Obama lives in their heads rent-free.”

CNN has reached out to the former first lady’s office for comment.