"It's Shameful": Josh Hokit Just Called Michelle Obama A Man At The UFC White House Fight, And Experts Say It's Part Of A Growing Trend That We Should All Be Paying Attention To

Fresh disconnected the biggest triumph of his UFC career, heavyweight combatant Josh Hokit utilized his post-fight interrogation astatine the White House to make a transphobic jab astatine erstwhile archetypal woman Michelle Obama. Speaking with Joe Rogan connected the South Lawn connected Sunday night, Hokit repeated a long-debunked far-right conspiracy mentation that claims [Michelle] Obama was calved a man.

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“Michelle Obama is simply a man. Am I right, America?” Hokit said unprompted, aft shouting retired his “lord and savior Jesus Christ” and giving props to day lad President Donald Trump for hosting the event.

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As the Guardian reported, the crude remark drew cheers from immoderate sections of the crowd and “bewilderment from others.”

Trump and the White House have yet to denounce Hokit’s on-brand remarks. Ignoring a question astir the incident, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung alternatively praised the UFC fighter’s “great win” and toughness during the fight, CNN’s Jake Tapper said Monday connected X.

Dan Bongino, who served arsenic the lawman manager of the FBI from March 2025 to January 2026, told TMZ that Hokit’s remark was “hilarious.”

At slightest UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t a fan. Via text, he told Time magazine, “I recognize that the Obama’s are nationalist figures but I’m wholly against saying nasty and mendacious things astir people’s families... Everyone knows my presumption connected escaped code but I hatred that benignant of nonsense.”

That benignant of “nonsense” is thing caller for those connected the acold right, who person a wont of “transvestigating” women successful power, particularly if they’re women of color.

As HuffPost antecedently reported, immoderate corners of the net are convinced that definite nationalist figures – Obama, Griner, First Lady of France Brigitte Macron, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif – are secretly men. This year, transvestigators adjacent targeted Erika Kirk, the woman of slain Turning Point USA laminitis Charlie Kirk, pointing to photos from her puerility wherever she looked a small tomboyish.

The politically motivated conspiracies astir Obama started during her husband’s presidency and person repeatedly been debunked. Online, those committed to the transphobic spot proceed to station photos of the erstwhile archetypal woman that are manipulated to marque her features look much masculine. They besides get a footwear retired of calling her “Big Mike.” Others assertion that erstwhile President Obama is gay, and that their children, Malia and Sasha Obama, present 27 and 25, were conceived by surrogate parents.

The information that specified conspiracies and transphobia are present being voiced connected the White House tract and laughed disconnected by immoderate is “appalling,” said Kari J. Winter, prof of American studies astatine the University astatine Buffalo. “The question is wherefore the satellite is forced to witnesser the astir vile, infantile behaviour connected show successful the spot that was for centuries the revered bosom of American democracy?” said Winters. “It’s shameful.”

Jay Daniel Thompson, a elder lecturer astatine the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology successful Victoria, Australia, who researches conspiracy theories and integer hostility, said the mainstreaming of transvestigations is worthy calling out.

“These [conspiracies] are nary longer relegated to murky, reactionary corners connected the internet,” said Thompson, who antecedently told HuffPost these claims bespeak an expanding and well-documented planetary hostility toward the trans and LGBTQ+ communities, arsenic good arsenic women.

“Transvestigation is premised connected stereotypes of trans women arsenic freakish, deceptive and untrustworthy,” helium added. “These conspiracies people women successful the nationalist eye, seeking to demean those women and diminish their credibility. This suggests that transvestigations are not conscionable transphobic; they’re besides profoundly misogynistic.”

For transphobes and crap posters alike, nary insult could beryllium arsenic cutting to a palmy pistillate arsenic saying she looks similar a man. And the trans assemblage is an casual target. Historically, conspiracists thin to blasted already marginalized groups for a assortment of societal ills, which is evident successful the transvestigation phenomenon, arsenic trans radical proceed to look increased levels of unit and discrimination.

Transvestigations thin to people women of color

The information that Black women are disproportionately targeted is predictable, according to Thompson, due to the fact that galore of these claims gully connected racist ideas and root material. “Transvestigators” gully connected phrenology, a 19th and aboriginal 20th period racist pseudoscience asserting that the signifier and measurements of the quality skull determined property traits and intelligence.

European scientists of the clip manipulated measurements to assertion that European skulls were “superior,” portion labeling African, Indigenous and Asian populations arsenic inherently inferior oregon adjacent prone to criminality based connected carnal features of the skull. Inevitably, phrenology was weaponized to justify racism, classism and colonialism.

Today, transvestigators likewise usage skeletal and cranial overlays to place what they assertion are masculine carnal characteristics of celebrated women. In addition, immoderate constituent to assemblage connection and posture arsenic telltale sex giveaways.

While the blimpish crap posters occasionally devour their ain with these conspiracies ― Erika Kirk and “Euphoria” histrion Sydney Sweeney person some been transvestigated arsenic of precocious ― they mostly thin to absorption connected women connected the left. It’s not that the near isn’t prone to calling a pistillate hostile disfigured oregon mannish. It happens. But the antagonistic connotations the acold close attaches to trans identities are precisely wherefore determination isn’t overmuch transvestigating connected the left, oregon among radical who are much neutral oregon supportive toward trans people, Samantha Lux, a trans activistic and contented creator, antecedently told HuffPost. “If you don’t presumption being trans arsenic a atrocious thing, past what request would you person to ‘expose’ someone’s identity?” Lux said.

If you’re racist, transphobic and privation to “own the libs,” these transvestigations are excessively bully an accidental to walk up. But the information that specified transphobic attacks are present happening astatine the White House, without a peep of objection from the president oregon Republican leadership, is profoundly troubling, Thompson said.

“It reflects the normalization of maltreatment against women successful the nationalist eye,” helium said. “Hokit intelligibly wanted a inexpensive laughter and helium got it, though helium was besides booed, which is encouraging. But it’s notable, and unsurprising, that neither Hokit oregon Trump person apologized.”

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected HuffPost.