Trump Marks His Birthday With Unprecedented UFC Card on the White House Lawn

Donald Trump is set to celebrate his birthday with an extraordinary public spectacle at the White House, a UFC fight card on the South Lawn late Sunday into Monday. Unlike Joe Biden, who marked his 80th birthday with a private family lunch, Trump will first have a private dinner with relatives, then move to what he has called the biggest UFC event ever. The night’s centerpiece is “UFC Freedom 250,” officially tied to next month’s U.S. 250th independence anniversary celebrations and staged on Flag Day, which also happens to be Trump’s 1946 birthday.

The event is unprecedented: a professional sports competition will be held on the grounds of the presidential residence. A giant octagonal cage, 47 meters wide and 24 meters high, larger than the White House itself, has been erected on the lawn. It will seat 4,000 people, with about a quarter of the seats reserved for soldiers, while another estimated 125,000 people are expected to watch on huge screens at nearby Elipse Park. UFC said the event will also be livestreamed, and Reuters reported that some guests were offered tickets for more than $1 million.

Seven fights featuring 14 mixed martial arts competitors are scheduled, with the main event pitting lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against former interim titleholder Justin Gaethje. Some fighters are expected to walk to the octagon from the Oval Office. Trump is scheduled to attend the reception at 2:00 a.m. Israeli time, with the fights beginning at 2:45 a.m., and then fly directly to the G7 summit in Evian, France, which was delayed to accommodate his viewing plans.

The White House has rejected conflict-of-interest claims, but critics argue the event reflects improper ties between Trump and business figures. They point to Trump’s family trust buying shares in TKO Group Holdings, UFC’s parent company, and to sponsor Crypto.com’s past cooperation with Trump Media & Technology Group. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 4,531 American adults found only 16% thought the event was appropriate, while 46% said it was not. Critics also cast the event as a distraction at a time when Americans face rising living costs and higher fuel prices linked to the war with Iran, and as part of Trump’s broader remaking of the White House, including gold decorations in the Oval Office, a paved Rose Garden, a renovated Lincoln Bedroom bathroom, and plans for a demolished East Wing, a new ballroom, and a giant arch near the Lincoln Memorial.