Trump mixes sports and patriotism with UFC Freedom 250 ‘spectacle’

The White House promised the Washington Examiner last week that having the UFC Freedom 250 “spectacle take place at the People’s House on Flag Day during our nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary” would be “a fitting tribute.”

And Trump, a former reality TV star known for expressing his lighting and other production preferences to staff, and even news outlets, delivered in terms of theatrics.

The 4,300-person crowd featured many uniformed and non-uniformed military personnel, Cabinet officials, titans of business and technology, and media luminaries, who were presumably grateful a predicted storm did not break over what the UFC called “The Claw.”

“Happy birthday, President Trump!” one attendee shouted after the bell started the first bout between featherweight fighters Brazilian Diego Lopes and American Steve Garcia. 

After Lopes knocked out Garcia and American middleweight fighter Bo Nickal did the same to compatriot Kyle Daukaus, Nickal thanked Trump and White for making UFC Freedom 250 happen.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “It takes such a special person to be able to have the balls to do something like this, and I have so much respect for him.”

American heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit also praised Trump for “having the balls to put some s–t like this on,” after placing his chain around the neck of the president and before claiming former first lady Michelle Obama is a man.

Trump took the chain off shortly after Hokit’s comments about Obama to interviewer Joe Rogan in the ring.

Newly crowned lightweight champion American Justin Gaethje also reflected on the moment: “I’m from America. 250 years ago, we were way bigger than 6:1 [under]dogs, and look at us thriving now.”

Politics was never far from the fights, with someone shouting during American bantamweight fighter Sean O’Malley’s bout against Canadian Aiemann Zahabi, “Canada is the 51st state!”  

Trump, who wore a “USA” baseball cap during that fight, has sought to provoke Canada by raising the prospect of annexation before the province of Alberta votes in October on whether to remain part of the country.

Attendees on Sunday also included Paramount Skydance chairman and CEO and Trump mega-donor Larry Ellison, whose streaming service had exclusive broadcast rights to the fights, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, who settled their lawsuit with Zuckerberg over allegations he stole their idea for Facebook. That is not to mention congressional leaders, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

Zuckerberg was seen speaking with Trump between rounds, as his son Barron spoke with others who approached his father.

Earlier in the night, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was similarly seen speaking with some troops in a video captured by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.

Meanwhile, Democrats criticized the $60 million event for being self-enriching for Trump, his family, and his supporters amid legal challenges.

“The White House was built to serve the American people,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) wrote on X. “Tonight it was used to promote a company the President owns stock in, sell subscriptions, promote corporate sponsors, push Trump crypto, and enrich the President and his family. The founders warned us about kings enriching themselves from public office. They did not fight a revolution for this.”

Security was tight at the White House before and throughout the event, despite lightweight title contenders American Gaethje and Georgian and Spanish Ilia Topuria coming out of the Oval Office, UFC broadcasting their pre- and post- show from the White House’s Green Room, and the fighters using the Eisenhower Executive Office Building as their locker room.

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Security was also tight across Washington, D.C., with flight disruptions because of airspace closures.

The fights capped a weekend of programming, including the official face-offs and ceremonial weigh-ins at the Lincoln Memorial, the Zac Brown Band performing on the Ellipse as part of a fan festival, and even Ja Rule performing at Donald Trump Jr’s exclusive Executive Branch Club in Georgetown.