Trump Marks His 80th Birthday With White House Fight Night and Military Flyovers

U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday overnight with an elaborate spectacle on the South Lawn of the White House, tied to the launch of America’s 250th independence anniversary celebrations. Hours before the festivities began, Trump used the occasion to announce that a formal agreement had been reached to end the war with Iran and that the Strait of Hormuz had been reopened to international shipping.

The presidential grounds were transformed for the event, billed as “UFC Freedom 250,” with a cage fighting ring set beneath a huge metal structure about 27 meters high called “The Apex.” Trump and UFC chief executive Dana White watched from the Blue Room balcony as country singer Zach Brown performed the national anthem, while the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds staged an aerial flyover over Washington.

Seven mixed martial arts bouts were held during the night before thousands of invited guests, including members of Congress, administration officials and military personnel. Fighters entered the cage directly from the Oval Office, and in the main event American Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria after four hard rounds that left significant blood on the cage floor.

Trump later entered the cage to shake hands with the fighters and watch fireworks that continued past 1 a.m. White called the production “a once in a lifetime event, a one of a kind event, an amazing event.” The celebration also drew sharp political criticism and protests outside the White House, where demonstrators said commercial cage fights on government property were a misuse of state resources and corruption meant to glorify the president’s birthday under the cover of national celebrations.