The anti-Trump has apparently decided the best way to stop a UFC event is with a stack of legal briefs.
With only days remaining before a planned UFC card on the White House South Lawn, a pair of plaintiffs backed by a self-described government watchdog group have launched a federal lawsuit seeking to pull the plug on what supporters are calling one of the most ambitious celebrations of America’s 250th birthday ever attempted.
The June 14 event is scheduled to coincide with Flag Day and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, creating a uniquely American mashup of patriotism, politics and prizefighting.
White House officials are embracing the spectacle. “This will be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.
And the administration isn’t thinking small. Towering over the South Lawn is “The Claw,” a massive 92-foot structure weighing roughly 600 tons that will support the UFC’s octagon setup. The eye-popping installation has already become one of the most talked-about features of the celebration and underscores the scale of the event Trump and UFC President Dana White are attempting to stage.
Not everyone is cheering. The Public Integrity Project filed suit in federal court in Washington on behalf of two Virginia residents, asking a judge to issue an emergency order blocking the event before fight night arrives.
The plaintiffs contend the White House spectacle crosses ethical and legal lines, arguing that the permitting process was flawed and raising questions about whether Congress specifically authorized construction associated with the event.
Their complaint also takes aim at White, one of Trump’s longest-standing allies in sports and business. “This plan is deeply corrupt. The event, billed as ‘UFC Freedom 250,’ is (as the name suggests) being organized by the UFC, whose chief executive, Dana White, is a close friend and ally of the President. The President is giving White and his company what none have enjoyed before: unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private, for-profit sports event, with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access,” the lawsuit states.
The filing goes even further, claiming: “It is not in any material sense a ‘celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’—it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.”
The case landed before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, who now faces the question of whether the plaintiffs can demonstrate a sufficient personal stake in the dispute to justify court intervention before the event takes place.
Meanwhile, Trump appears unfazed by the legal challenge. “We’re building something in front of the White House that’s quite attractive to a lot of people,” the president said in a recent video. “It’s gonna have the big UFC fight on June 14 … maybe we’ll never ever take it down.”
