Donald Trump’s UFC fights at White House marred by smear aimed at Michelle Obama – US politics live | US news
Trump’s UFC fights at the White House are marred by misogynistic slurs against Michelle Obama
Hello, welcome to the live blog of US politics.
Donald Trump’s UFC fights on the White House lawn were marred last night by misogynistic slurs directed at former First Lady Michelle Obama.
The president celebrated the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence — but more importantly, his own 80th birthday — by hosting the first professional sports event in White House history under a massive steel dome known as the Talon.
While many winning fighters greeted Trump after their bouts, American fighter Bo Nickal followed up his knockout victory by climbing over the cage fence to shake Trump’s hand.
Another fighter, heavyweight Josh Hokit, gave a rambling post-fight interview that veered from praise for the president to praise for religion before finalizing With the false conspiracy claim that “Michelle Obama is a man.” These remarks, one of the oldest and most enduring slurs against the former First Lady, drew applause from some sections of the crowd and surprise from others.
Hokit’s comments weren’t the only political barb of the night. When former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley faced Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi, the match erupted into nationalist fervor.
Trump: “USA!” He wore a white “USA” hat on the edge of the cage while chanting slogans. voices rose from some sections of the crowd. At various points the audience chanted “Canada is the 51st state!” he shouted. — while echoing Trump’s repeated taunts about annexing America’s northern neighbor — others encouraged O’Malley to “eat” his rival.
Meanwhile, dozens of people stood in front of the entrance gates of the Ellipse park south of the White House, carrying protest signs and chanting slogans.
“This stinks of corruption, there’s a lot of corruption,” said Susan Douglas, an organizer with Third Act Virginia, a progressive pro-democracy grassroots organization that organized the demonstration. “Let’s face it,” he added. “This is Trump’s birthday and it has nothing to do with the founding of our country.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced last week that it would pay bonuses to fighters through a cryptocurrency issued by the Trump family company World Liberty Financial.
Read the full story:
In other developments:
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Trump will arrive in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon to meet with G7 leaders, including those who have harshly criticized his handling of the nearly 15-week conflict that has sent global energy prices soaring. World leaders began to gather in a spa city in France for the summit with new momentum after the US president announced an agreement that he said would end the war against Iran.
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Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed early Monday that an agreement had been reached to “immediately end” the US-Iran war and said Lebanon was included in a peace deal to be signed on Friday. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the deal on Sunday afternoon, saying both sides would declare “an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts.”
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Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine is critical and that he is ready to help, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian President that the United States was moving closer to a peace agreement with Iran as the U.S.-Israeli war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin’s advisers.
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JD Vance said he will discuss the 2028 US presidential race with his wife Usha after the 2026 midterm elections. “Usha and I will definitely sit down and talk about what’s next for our family,” Vance said. The US vice president offered insight into his ongoing decision about whether to run or run in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, where he talked about his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which details his conversion to Catholicism.
important events
Adam Gabbatt
It’s been quite a journey for Hunter Biden. In a matter of weeks, the former first son went from a man seen as a political liability to an unlikely mobilizing force within the Democratic party, as he emerged on social media as a mental health advocate, Republican basher and working-class whisperer.
In the process, Biden went from the GOP’s bete noire to someone who actually appealed to many Republican voters.
Including his self-deprecating posts said Playboy magazine, where she didn’t pose nude for them, and another where she made a playful pun on the phallic misspelling of the word “choice” were mixed with serious messages about addiction recovery. There are even calls for him to run for the US presidency in 2028 in his populist posts about politics.
His honest, human responses to trolling often seem to win over critics.
Take his response to an X user named Ashley whose username is @TeamTrump47. Ashley, who writes in her bio that she loves Jesus, replied “I’d rather live under a rock than drink that,” she wrote in one of Biden’s posts.
“Me too. It sucked,” Biden responded, prompting Ashley to perform a mea culpa.
“Damn Hunter, this makes me sad,” he wrote. “You’re living a better life than you did. Good luck.”
Biden’s rise on X, where he has more than 780 thousand followers, also attracted Trump’s attention. Last week, the president was asked about his thoughts on Biden’s chances in the hypothetical 2028 primaries.
Vance says he will discuss 2028 presidential run after midterm elections
Gloria Oladipo
JD Vance said he would discuss the 2028 US presidential race with his wife after the 2026 midterm elections.
The US vice president offered insight into his ongoing decision about whether to run or run in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, where he talked about his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which details his conversion to Catholicism.
“Usha and I will definitely sit down and talk about what’s next for our family,” Vance said. “People think I’m just sitting there thinking about whether or not I’m going to run for president… The way I make decisions is I try not to make them unless I absolutely have to.”
The vice president added that he believes Trump will be “very supportive” of his decision. “I have no doubt that the president of the United States will be very supportive of whatever I ultimately decide to do,” Vance said.
Vance added that he would never begin discussions with Trump about his future political plans. “I never bring it up. But of course the president brings it up a lot, sometimes publicly, sometimes privately. You know, the president is a political animal. He likes that stuff. He’s fascinated by it.”
Trump’s UFC fights at the White House are marred by misogynistic slurs against Michelle Obama
Hello, welcome to the live blog of US politics.
Donald Trump’s UFC fights on the White House lawn were marred last night by misogynistic slurs directed at former First Lady Michelle Obama.
The president celebrated the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence — but more importantly, his own 80th birthday — by hosting the first professional sports event in White House history under a massive steel dome known as the Talon.
While many winning fighters greeted Trump after their bouts, American fighter Bo Nickal followed up his knockout victory by climbing over the cage fence to shake Trump’s hand.
Another fighter, heavyweight Josh Hokit, gave a rambling post-fight interview that veered from praise for the president to praise for religion before finalizing With the false conspiracy claim that “Michelle Obama is a man.” These remarks, one of the oldest and most enduring slurs against the former First Lady, drew applause from some sections of the crowd and surprise from others.
Hokit’s comments weren’t the only political barb of the night. When former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley faced Canada’s Aiemann Zahabi, the match erupted into nationalist fervor.
Trump: “USA!” He wore a white “USA” hat on the edge of the cage while chanting slogans. voices rose from some sections of the crowd. At various points the audience chanted “Canada is the 51st state!” he shouted. — while echoing Trump’s constant taunts about annexing America’s northern neighbor — others encouraged O’Malley to “eat” his opponent.
Meanwhile, dozens of people stood in front of the entrance gates of the Ellipse park south of the White House, carrying protest signs and chanting slogans.
“This stinks of corruption, there’s a lot of corruption,” said Susan Douglas, an organizer with Third Act Virginia, a progressive pro-democracy grassroots organization that organized the demonstration. “Let’s face it,” he added. “This is Trump’s birthday and it has nothing to do with the founding of our country.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced last week that it would pay bonuses to fighters through a cryptocurrency issued by the Trump family company World Liberty Financial.
Read the full story:
In other developments:
-
Trump will arrive in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon to meet with G7 leaders, including those who have harshly criticized his handling of the nearly 15-week conflict that has sent global energy prices soaring. World leaders began to gather in a spa city in France for the summit with new momentum after the US president announced an agreement that he said would end the war against Iran.
-
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed early Monday that an agreement had been reached to “immediately end” the US-Iran war and said Lebanon was included in a peace deal to be signed on Friday. Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the deal on Sunday afternoon, saying both sides would declare “an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts.”
-
Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine is critical and that he is ready to help, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian President that the United States was moving closer to a peace agreement with Iran as the U.S.-Israeli war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin’s advisers.
-
JD Vance said he will discuss the 2028 US presidential race with his wife Usha after the 2026 midterm elections. “Usha and I will definitely sit down and talk about what’s next for our family,” Vance said. The US vice president offered insight into his ongoing decision about whether to run or run in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, where he talked about his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which details his conversion to Catholicism.
