Michelle Obama talks about parenting Malia and Sasha Obama in the White House
Former first lady Michelle Obama recalled the “crazy” parts of raising Malia and Sasha Obama in the White House.
- UFC fighter Josh Hokit made false and conspiratorial claims about former first lady Michelle Obama at a White House event.
- For years, the Obamas have faced racist and derogatory attacks from public officials and online memes.
It’s been more than nine years since Michelle Obama left the White House. She still cannot escape the abuse.
The attack on Obama, who made history as the first African-American woman to serve as first lady, took place Sunday at a White House event hosted by President Donald Trump to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
“And finally, Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?” Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Josh Hokit exclaimed during a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. The podcaster who hosted the in-ring interview did not dispute Hokit’s false claims, which were born out of far-right conspiracy theories and have been repeatedly debunked.
Representatives for the Obamas did not respond to requests for comment on June 15.
UFC President and CEO Dana White responded to Hokit’s remarks. “I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I completely disagree with saying mean and untrue things about people’s families,” he said in a text message to Time magazine.
White has defended free speech, but added: “I hate that kind of nonsense.” Hokitt similarly targeted WNBA star Brittney Griner in January.
White has never publicly disciplined a fighter for using slurs or derogatory language, so Hokit is unlikely to face any punishment this time.
How Michelle Obama responded to criticism
The Obamas have faced racist rhetoric for years, and Michelle has been subject to constant online abuse.
Attacks have taken place at all levels, from a small city mayor in Washington in 2015 to a West Virginia county official in 2019 to the current occupant of the White House. Earlier this year, President Trump shared an artificial intelligence-generated meme with TruthSocial depicting the Obamas as jungle monkeys. The White House initially defended the post before removing it, with White House officials telling USA TODAY at the time that it had been shared “inadvertently” by a staffer.
Michelle has also continued to comment on her appearance, with a 2011 cartoon depicting her as overweight and munching on a hamburger, and more recently being accused of taking Ozempic to lose weight.
“When they go low, we go high,” President Obama famously said at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, indicating that she was willing to take a dignified approach to everything from insults to conspiracy theories, but that didn’t mean she was immune to sharp attacks.
“The splinters that hurt me the most were the ones that tried to cut me,” she said in 2017, but admitted it was difficult to know that “after eight years of working hard for this country, there are still people who can’t see me for who I am because of the color of my skin.”
In 2022, President Obama said he wanted to braid his hair during his term, but decided not to because the American people were “not ready.” She also admitted that her time as first lady had a huge influence on her fashion and style choices.
Since leaving the White House, Obama says he has found confidence and freedom. (The most memorable came in the form of Balenciaga’s sequined thigh-high boots.)
All first ladies have faced criticism and relentless scrutiny during their terms. There are suspicions that the White House is using a shadow figure of current first lady Melania Trump. Then a viral meme called “Free Melania” appeared, implying that the first lady was in an unhappy marriage.
For most first ladies, the barrage wanes considerably or disappears once their husbands leave the role of commander-in-chief.
Despite the broadside, Obama maintains fairly high approval ratings, with 66% of all voters and 87% of Democrats, according to Marist polls. This is significantly higher than President Trump’s latest approval rating of 39%.
Josh Peter contributed to this report.
