On Sunday night, President Donald Trump hosted a series of UFC fights on the White House lawn. The fights were ostensibly held as a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, but Sunday also happened to be Trump's 80th birthday.
There are plenty of reasons to criticize the event. There is the potential attempted cheating and insider dealing by a Trump son. There is the fact that an event held at the White House to celebrate the country could only be viewed on a subscription streaming service. There is the fact that the streaming service is part of a company with close ties to Trump and which just received approval from the Trump-run government for a controversial merger. And there are various other issues on which I have already commented.
But in this post, I will focus mostly on a single line delivered by Josh Hokit in an interview after winning his fight at the event.
Hokit regurgitated the bizarre and baseless rumor of former first lady Michelle Obama being born a man. Trump and the White House could not be bothered to comment on Hoskit's insult, although he and White House staff have plenty to say when he perceives someone as insulting his own wife on late night TV.
Just like so much that involves or surrounds Trump, Hokit's comment was unnecessarily malicious and divisive. Regardless of whether Hokit intended the comment as a joke, it was ultimately meant as an insult. Those who suggest Obama was born a man do not do so with positive or even neutral intent. They mean it as a way to insult her and her husband.
It was also glaringly hypocritical. Hokit took this gratuitous and insulting swipe at Obama seconds after calling attention to his "Lord and savior Jesus Christ." As we all know, Jesus is well known for having randomly hurled personal insults at people he did not like in front of crowds. You would think a man of Jesus could go more than 30 seconds after spreading the good Word without demeaning someone. But no, his belief in Christ is apparently so false or uninformed (or clouded by brain damage) that he could not see and avoid the obvious contradiction.
There was nothing redeeming or politically salient about the comment. Michelle Obama is politically irrelevant, and neither she nor former President Obama hold any sort of public office.
Yet, because she belongs to a different political and cultural tribe than Hokit, the President, and many of the other people in attendance at the fights, Hokit felt compelled and safe to insult her at an event held on government grounds to celebrate the nation. And the elected head of our government who organized the event has nothing to say.
While Trump and the other major players in organizing and holding this event said or acted like the event was nonpartisan and belonged to all Americans, it is easy to see from this incident (among other things) why that really was not true.
It was an event meant to glorify Trump, his version of America, and the cultural movement he leads. Like an emperor or king, he sat in a prime location for all to see. The royal family, his royal court, and other modern day wealthy and powerful aristocrats attended either because they are earnest believers or to curry favor with the King.
If this is a sample of what the rest of the nation's 250th birthday celebrations will look like, the next month or or so is going to be utterly exhausting.