Dozens of protesters gathered south of the White House on Sunday afternoon to demonstrate against the UFC fights hosted by President Donald Trump on his 80th birthday. Holding signs and chanting, they stood across the entrance gates to the Ellipse, the park south of the White House, as thousands of fight fans streamed past into a viewing area erected by the Trump administration and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Protesters Decry Corruption and Commercialization
Under the banner 'The Real Fight is for Democracy,' the demonstration was organized by Third Act Virginia, a progressive pro-democracy grassroots organization. Susan Douglas, an organizer, said, 'This reeks of corruption – way too much corruption. It's for Trump's birthday and has nothing to do with the founding of our country.' Douglas was a plaintiff in an emergency federal lawsuit seeking to block the event, but a judge rejected it two days prior.
Protesters held a large puppet cage with oversized figures of Trump and his cabinet members, drawing boos from UFC spectators. Marco Smith, a member of Third Act Virginia, said, 'We wanted to show what an awful group of people this administration is. We made the cage to show them behind bars where they belong.'
UFC Fans and Trump Supporters Respond
Thousands of UFC fans and Trump supporters stood behind barricades on Constitution Avenue, chanting 'USA! USA! UFC!' as protesters walked by. The event marked the first private, for-profit sporting event held on White House grounds, with fighters emerging from the Oval Office and walking to a 92-foot-tall steel cage known as 'the Claw' on the South Lawn. VIP guests paid up to $1.5 million for ringside access.
Jason Simpson, a protester from Connecticut, said, 'This is a fascist, money-grabbing opportunity. We need to keep fighting back.' He noted he had been pepper-sprayed and beaten at previous protests.
Broader Opposition and Counter-Programming
Roughly 100 people gathered at the Wilson Building under the banner 'They Fight, We Feed,' organized by Code Pink and other groups. Olivia DiNucci, an anti-militarism organizer, said the UFC fight was a symptom of deeper issues: 'We have people fighting each other on the South Lawn, trying to elicit fear and violence, like they do all over the world.' She linked military spending to hunger, noting the $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget and cuts to social safety nets.
Sunday's action was part of a broader season of counter-programming against the 'Freedom 250' narrative. The Committee for the First Amendment planned a concert featuring Bette Midler, Patti Smith, and others, streaming to over 500 watch parties organized by the No Kings Coalition and Indivisible.
No Kings said in a statement, 'We can let strongman politics and corruption define the moment, or we can make the story of America about people coming together to defend our rights and build a future rooted in people power.'
