The View co-host Sunny Hostin has called out Donald Trump for his reaction to MMA fighter Josh Hokit’s racial slur against Michelle Obama after his cage match at the White House’s controversial UFC Freedom 250 event.
To ring in America’s upcoming 250th anniversary and the president’s 80th birthday, the White House hosted a UFC cage match spectacle Sunday on the South Lawn. Following his victory against Derrick Lewis, Hokit sat down with podcaster Joe Rogan for a post-match interview, where he yelled: “Michelle Obama is a man, am I right America?”
Addressing the 28-year-old athlete’s hateful remarks during Monday’s segment of the ABC talk show, Hostin 57, said: “For a long time — and the roots are in slavery — Black women have been slurred and made to feel that they were unattractive, made to feel like they were masculine and that they didn’t have the femininity that a white woman would have.
“And so there’s this intersectionality between racism and sexism that was on full display at the White House,” she continued. “The crowd laughed at the statement, and the President of the United States smirked, and then never addressed what was said. That is beneath the dignity of the Office of the President of the United States and the dignity of the American people.”
While much of the conversation about the UFC event was overshadowed by excitement about the New York Knicks’ first NBA championship win in 53 years, Ana Navarro chimed in, arguing that the event did not “signify America’s best values.”
“And I’ll tell you, you know, [Trump’s] obsessed with the Obamas,” Navarro claimed. “They live rent free in his head.”
Sharing how she’s going to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Navarro said she is going to tune into the live stream of the opening of the Obama Center in Chicago.
“I’m gonna be celebrating the fact that he was the first Black president elected in this country,” she said. “And the other thing I’m gonna do to celebrate the birthday of America, is come November, I’m gonna show up, and I’m going to vote, to vote out the Republicans who are putting no accountability on this administration.”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Sunday’s spectacle drew thousands of attendees to the South Lawn to watch seven UFC matches. Several big-name celebrities, including Jared Leto, Adam Sandler, Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Saved By The Bell star Mario Lopez and Tom Brady, were all rumored to have been invited; however, the A-list crowd was ultimately a no-show.
Instead, comedian Nate Bargatze, Mark Zuckerberg and British boxer Tyson Fury were some of the most notable names to make appearances at Trump’s 80th birthday bash.
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