President Donald Trump's plan to host cage fights on the White House lawn is expected to cost UFC's parent company $60 million, with only half recouped, according to UFC CEO Dana White. The event, scheduled for Sunday, marks Trump's 80th birthday and is part of the nation's semiquincentennial celebrations.
White told The Hollywood Reporter that logistical challenges include rain, lightning, and swarms of insects. At a recent Rose Garden dinner, guests were plagued by black flies, and White anticipates gnats, moths, and even bats during the night-time matches under bright lights. 'I don't know what the hell's going to show up,' he said.
A lawsuit filed by two Virginia residents seeks to block the event, calling it a 'corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,' according to the Associated Press. The White House dismissed the filing as 'obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory,' stating the event is no different from other permitted White House gatherings.
The fights are part of broader Trump plans to redevelop Washington, including a $400 million gilded ballroom on the site of the demolished East Wing, funded by donors. Public Citizen reported that 14 donors secured $50 billion in government contracts. A federal judge has halted above-ground work on that project, pending appeal.
Trump also proposes a $100 million, 250-foot-tall triumphal arch on Columbia Island, opposed by Vietnam War veterans. 'It is nothing more than an ego arch to the current occupant of the White House,' veteran Paul Anthony Romano III said at a hearing. The National Capital Planning Commission received about 1,700 public comments, virtually all opposed.
TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro told analysts the company expects to lose $30 million on the event, calling it 'an investment for the long term' to drive subscriber acquisition for Paramount+ and global media exposure. The event is scheduled despite legal challenges and environmental concerns.
