The White House has found itself overshadowed by the enormous UFC arena President Donald Trump is erecting for his birthday cage match.
The 79-year-old president has transformed the People’s House as preparations continue for the UFC extravaganza he is throwing on June 14 to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday and his own 80th.
A photo posted on Sunday by the X account for UFC on Paramount+, which will stream the fights, shows a massive open-air structure towering over the White House. The hulking arch is wrapped in patriotic red, white, and blue graphics and spans a raised stage and seating area directly in front of the historic residence.
“An updated look at the South Lawn ahead of UFC Freedom 250,” the caption reads.
The arena rises into the line of sight of people on the south side of the White House, obscuring what is typically a clear view of the Truman balcony.
Other aerial photos showing the Las Vegas-style venue next to the sprawling construction site for Trump’s $400 million ballroom—on the footprint where the East Wing once stood—underscore just how extensively Trump has remade the White House grounds to his liking.
The former real estate developer and reality TV star has high hopes for his birthday bash, boasting to reporters that he expects 5,000 spectators at the arena and that it will be “the biggest event we’ve ever had at the White House.”
The Pentagon is trying to recruit hundreds of U.S. troops to attend the event, The Washington Post reported last week, citing internal memos it has reviewed and people familiar with the matter.
A memo viewed by the Post laid out that attending soldiers are required to wear a uniform and meet a “waist-height” ratio.
Trump’s UFC event has been criticized as another example of misplaced priorities, as Americans struggle with rising prices amid the president’s war with Iran.
Even the UFC commentator and podcast host Joe Rogan, who endorsed Trump in 2024, has dismissed the event as “kind of a gimmick” and “odd.”
Trump started to push back against Rogan in an interview with Time—but then conceded that, yes, the event is indeed a gimmick.
“Life is a gimmick, if you think about it, right?” he said. “But it’s a good gimmick. It’s something that will never happen again. Nobody will ever have the privilege of doing something like this in front of the White House.”
Dana White, UFC CEO and Trump’s MAGA buddy, has said that no taxpayer money is being used for the event, with the UFC and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings, reportedly covering costs now projected to exceed $60 million, according to USA Today. TKO Group is expected to take a net loss of about $30 million, Benzinga reports.
In the latest example of Trump blurring the line between public office and personal enrichment, financial disclosures released this month showed Trump purchased up to $50,000 worth of TKO Group shares in March, as he promoted the made-for-TV fight spectacle.
Asked about the purchase, White House spokesman Davis Ingle previously told the Daily Beast that Trump “only acts in the best interests of the American public,” adding that his “assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”
