Variety blasts Donald Trump for hosting UFC 250 Freedom event at the White House: ‘Idiocracy’

There are few things that the left hates more than celebrations of America. Particularly when those celebrations involve more grandiose demonstrations of patriotism, or are organized by someone who doesn’t share their political ideology or belief system.

Which made the UFC event held outside the White House on Sunday evening a perfect storm for left-wing media members desperate for something to hate. And boy oh boy, did they hate seeing an event programmed to celebrate the United States.

Variety, ostensibly a publication dedicated to covering the entertainment industry, published an extraordinarily angry column from Marlow Stern, who argued that the UFC event was reminiscent of a scene from the movie “Idiocracy.”

“At no point has the Trump presidency more closely resembled a scene out of “Idiocracy,” Mike Judge’s 2006 satire about a Philistine society that abhors intellectualism, than on Sunday night, as the White House played host to UFC Freedom 250 — a series of MMA brawls on the South Lawn ostensibly meant to commemorate the 250th birthday of America, but really to honor the 80th birthday of President Donald J. Trump, a man whose thirst for adulation and public spectacle will never be quenched,” she writes.

UFC Freedom 250 takes place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Mon. June 15, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

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What now? You don’t have to be a fan of UFC, or MMA, to have appreciated the views and pageantry of the event. The flyover, the atmosphere, the crowd and the impressive feat of constructing the platform, stage and stands on the White House lawn. All paid for by UFC, not American taxpayers.

Stern was also furious that the “garish ceremony” was broadcast on Paramount+. Why? Because it’s owned by CBS.

“The garish ceremony was broadcast live on Paramount+, a streaming platform owned by David Ellison, a Trump loyalist who’s been reshaping CBS News to be more MAGA-friendly.”

President Donald J. Trump and UFC President Dana White watch the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Somehow, it seems doubtful Stern would have the same complaints if say, MSNBC broadcast a “garish” Biden administration event celebrating Pride Month or something similar. Because it’s not about UFC, David Ellison, or any sane, rational complaint. It’s just blind hatred of Donald Trump and anything that can even be tangentially related to Trump. Not to mention that “reshaping” CBS to be “MAGA-friendly” simply means trying to inject some objectivity into their reporting and broadcasts. But Stern is so used to every media broadcast and outlet she consumes being tilted in her political direction that equality feels like imbalance.

Was Stern done there? No, of course not. When Joe Rogan described the event as a “surreal” experience, Stern somehow related it to…Jan. 6?

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“I’m not sure if it was more surreal than seeing a violent mob of thousands of Trump supporters lay siege to the Capitol, with some smearing their own feces on its walls, on Jan. 6,” she writes.

That’s the real reason for the column. Stern is an angry liberal, someone whose entire perspective on the country, on sports, on entertainment, is based on the ideology of the president. When it’s a Republican, every event, every comment, every movie, must be judged through that lens. When a Democrat is in charge, it’s the opposite.

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President Donald Trump watches at the conclusion of UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on June 15, 2026. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

When the Biden administration had any number of bizarre performances, celebrations and statements, Stern and those like her angrily denounced anyone who criticized them. But now that there’s a celebration of America’s anniversary with a special sporting event? Break out the outrage.

It’s lazy, it’s repetitive and it’s predictable. It’s politically motivated left-wing criticism in a nutshell.