Like many, I read about the UFC fighter’s comment about Michelle Obama, and I can’t say I was surprised. As the former First Lady famously said, “When they go low, we go high,” and that grace is exactly what we’ve come to expect from her. But it’s worth pausing to ask:
- Why did he feel the need to make such a statement?
- What about Michelle Obama triggered such an untrue and degrading remark?
- And why would he believe the Obamas would care?
I can’t say whether he truly believes the lie he told, whether it comes from racism, self‑hate, or simply too many blows to the head. Whatever the reason, the comment earned a laugh from Trump and others — and that’s the real point. It feeds into the racism the current President has normalized and is perfectly comfortable with. Donald Trump has long been jealous of the Obamas for many reasons. Perhaps the most obvious is that the racist ideas he absorbed from his father have been disproven again and again by the Obamas’ intelligence, dignity, and accomplishments. And once again, history repeats itself: what Obama achieved stands in stark contrast to Trump’s missteps.
That repetition is clearest in Trump’s decision to tear up the Iran nuclear agreement. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was painstakingly negotiated and included strict provisions that the current administration has not matched. It’s unclear whether Trump’s team has any comprehensive plan at all, let alone measurable metrics. Yet we hear the same tired claims about how “terrible” the JCPOA was, along with the false story that Obama bribed Iran with “pallets of cash.” In reality, the money returned to Iran had been held in escrow since the days of the Shah. But facts get in the way when an envious man wants to rewrite the story to diminish his predecessor and erase the reality that Obama’s agreement was working. Tearing up the JCPOA wasn’t about policy — it was about erasing Obama’s legacy, even at the cost of national security.
People driven by racism and resentment often rely on half‑truths and outright lies to make themselves appear smarter, stronger, or more competent. They do it subtly — through deceit, disingenuousness, and performative charm — all while smiling in your face. The persistent fallacy that skin color determines intelligence is like a roach that never dies. You can kill one, but thousands more hide behind the wall. That is the nature of the problem.
The racism Trump brought into the presidency echoes the failures of the Founders themselves. When they wrote “of the people, by the people,” they excluded a large segment of the population they counted as only three‑fifths human. To declare men, women, and children only 60% human was not only degrading — it was an insult to the Creator many of them claimed to worship. The same hierarchy that counted Black people as three‑fifths human still echoes today in the narratives used to diminish the Obamas.
Trump’s own racism was ingrained early and never softened, no matter how much progress others made. He rarely saw people outside his racial worldview as capable of leadership. This was evident when he asked Randall Pinkett to share his Apprentice win with the runner‑up — something no previous winner had ever been asked. Pinkett’s response was firm: “There is one and only one apprentice.” As he later wrote, he was insulted and angered — and rightly so. The moment revealed Trump’s discomfort with Black excellence, especially when it contradicted the stereotypes he had internalized.
When Trump later ran for president and won, it felt like the country was moving backward. That regression showed itself in his handling of COVID‑19. His willingness to promote medical misinformation was unconscionable, especially considering he received state‑of‑the‑art treatment when he became infected — not bleach or any of the other quack remedies he floated publicly. His handling of COVID reflected the same pattern: insecurity masquerading as strength, bluster replacing competence.
So, is it any surprise that the new Iran agreement is nowhere near what the Obama administration achieved? Or that Trump is now touting a $300 billion deal — far larger than anything under the JCPOA — without clear inspection requirements or enforceable conditions? The pattern is familiar: undo what Obama did, regardless of the consequences.
At this point, the words of the Tao Te Ching come to mind: “Therefore, to see beyond boundaries to the subtle heart of things, dispense with names, concepts, expectations, ambitions, and differences.”
Real strength doesn’t require bluster. Real leadership doesn’t need threats or insults. Wisdom requires humility, patience, and the ability to see beyond one’s own ego — qualities Trump has never demonstrated. The ability to listen, to move past ego, to avoid name‑calling and posturing — that is where understanding begins. Flexibility often achieves more than saber‑rattling or promises to “bomb them back into the stone age.”
But for that to happen, it requires a leader who can think beyond his next McDonald’s Happy Meal