Trump's UFC fights bring historic spectacle to White House

The structure, known as "The Claw," for the upcoming UFC fight that US President Donald Trump will host as part of the 250th anniversary of the United States is seen on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 12, 2026. ANNE LEBRETON/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Almost a year ago, at a rally in Des Moines, President Trump made an announcement to his supporters.

"We're going to have a UFC fight – think of this – on the grounds of the White House," he said.

The crowd of supporters didn't cheer, exactly – rather, a murmur ran through the crowd. They seemed, if anything, surprised.

And now, he's following through, allowing the UFC to erect an arena on the South Lawn. Seven cage fights will be held on the White House grounds in honor of the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary – a day that also happens to be the president's 80th birthday.

Beyond that, he's undertaken a roster of other side projects not - strictly speaking - traditionally central to a war time president's daily decision-making. Tied to the anniversary, he's going to host a rally on the national mall and has an IndyCar race planned on the streets of D.C.

And then there are the building projects, which the president can't help bringing up, even at unrelated official events. Before signing a bill funding immigration enforcement last week, he described at length his work on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. At an announcement about coal power, he brought up a pedestrian bridge to connect the Lincoln Memorial and the Potomac River.

And at a recent agricultural roundtable in Wisconsin, he showed the farmers seated on either side of him printouts of photos of a Washington, D.C., fountain.