The White House has never seen anything like President Donald Trump is hosting to celebrate his 80th birthday and the nation鈥檚 .
is bringing seven fights within to the White House South Lawn on Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The event is taking place against the backdrop of the United States鈥� unpopular and costly war against Iran. An could be close, but the crucial details are still to be negotiated.
Here’s the latest:
Trump and White鈥檚 relationship spans 25 years
The Freedom 250 card marks the pinnacle of the relationship between UFC CEO Dana White and Trump, which has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White鈥檚 first card as UFC president took place in 2001 at an event held at the Trump Taj Mahal casino.
Trump has attended four UFC cards as sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans, much like the fighters themselves. White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions. White also attended the White House Correspondents鈥� Association dinner in April that was cut short by a shooting.
鈥楤read and circuses鈥�
The UFC event is an apt metaphor for Trump鈥檚 pugilistic political style. He is as big a fan of as he is of cage-fighting itself.
But Trump has also long been a master of political misdirection, purposely presenting people with something other than his presidency to focus on when things aren鈥檛 going well.
With the grinding on despite weeks of assurances from Trump that its end is nigh, , renewed and plummeting 鈥� a White House birthday party unlike anything America has ever seen is definitely a diversion.
The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to push the region into a full-scale war. U.S. Central Command late Friday said in a social media post that it intercepted several Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. (Produced by Luke Garratt)
鈥淭his is all distraction,鈥� said Mike Fontaine, a classics professor at Cornell University, who likened it to the gladiatorial games of Imperial Rome, when combatants brutalized each other for public entertainment meant to bolster rulers鈥� popularity and quell potential unrest.
鈥淭his is a classic strategy,鈥� Fontaine said. 鈥淚n ancient Rome, the phrase would be, 鈥榖read and circuses.鈥欌��
Who鈥檚 paying for all this?
Trump says the UFC is paying for the event, and while its full costs haven鈥檛 been divulged, the National Park Service said in a that $60-plus million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have gone into it, while seven government agencies have 鈥渁llocated significant resources and manpower.鈥�
UFC also announced on Friday that it was adding as an official partner for the event to create a special $250,000 athlete bonus pool for Sunday night鈥檚 winners. The cryptocurrency company is co-owned by the Trump family, founded with the president鈥檚 special diplomatic envoy and run by his son, Zach. The arrangement between the Trump family鈥檚 financial interests and the events and construction projects the president has prioritized and used government resources to pull off.
Inside the crowd drawn to Trump鈥檚 unusual UFC fight night at the White House
One by one, the burly mixed martial arts fighters made their entrance past the solemn, hulking marble statue of America鈥檚 16th president and jogged down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to roars from thousands of fans drawn to the .
The news conference Friday night featured the fighters who are preparing to built outside the White House. But it was also a chance to see the UFC fans who have thronged to Washington and endured lightning, humidity and bugs for the spectacle.
Tracy Philbeck and his son Levi drove from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a group of friends to support their favorite fighter, American Justin Gaethje, in the upcoming lightweight title bout against Georgian Ilia Topuria.
鈥淵ou will hear an eagle screaming when Justin Gaethje wins,鈥� the elder Philbeck chuckled.
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Donald Trump turns 80 and celebrates with UFC cage fighting on the White House lawn
President on Sunday and is set to celebrate with one of the more surreal spectacles both in sports and even in the nation鈥檚 capital: cage fighting on the White House lawn.
Against the backdrop of a that鈥檚 been broadly unpopular with Americans and has rattled and with to the highest level since April 2023, the White House 鈥� long known as the people鈥檚 house and a symbol of American democracy 鈥� opened its backyard Sunday night to stage a bruising UFC card on the South Lawn.
More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.
UFC is staging with all under the Freedom 250 banner to celebrate Trump鈥檚 and the of the Declaration of Independence鈥檚 signing.
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