Lawsuit seeks to block White House UFC event

A federal lawsuit filed Saturday seeks to stop President Donald Trump from hosting a UFC fight night on the White House South Lawn, challenging an event planned for June 14, his 80th birthday, and billed as part of celebrations tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The lawsuit, brought by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents, including a political activist and an Air Force veteran, says the administration failed to obtain proper authorization for the event and calls the plans “deeply corrupt.” It argues that holding the Ultimate Fighting Championship event on national parklands violates federal law and National Park Service regulations, that construction of a venue featuring a massive arch on the South Lawn lacks congressional approval, and that the project did not undergo an environmental review.

“The president is giving [UFC chief executive Dana] 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 says.

The weekend’s events are scheduled to begin Friday night at the Lincoln Memorial. Crews have been erecting an octagon-shaped fighting cage on the South Lawn, and Trump has said the project will include a “5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House,” Al Jazeera reported. Public viewing areas are also expected to be set up at the nearby Ellipse.

The legal challenge says the event is not truly a federal commemoration of American independence. Although UFC has described it as part of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the lawsuit notes the fight is set for Trump’s birthday, about three weeks before July 4.

“The event is neither ‘for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence’ nor, crucially, being ‘planned, organized, and executed’ by the federal government,” the lawsuit says. It adds: “Rather, UFC Freedom 250 is being held for the financial benefit of the UFC, Paramount, and their advertisers, and to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.”

The lawsuit contends that those who could benefit financially include Trump, who has investments in UFC’s parent company; White; Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News and a UFC broadcast partner; and advertisers. Paramount declined to comment to CBS News. UFC did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment.

Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the event represents “a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain.” He added: “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”

The White House rejected the challenge. An administration official described it as “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” effort to stop Trump “from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our nation’s history during our semiquincentennial celebration.”

“This iconic event is no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year,” the official said.

Attendance at the fight will be invite-only and closely monitored. Al Jazeera, citing Military Times, reported that 1,200 service members given tickets must meet certain waist-to-height ratio standards.

Trump has long been connected to professional wrestling and UFC. His casinos and event spaces hosted past events, and he appeared as a version of himself in World Wrestling Entertainment programming in the 1990s and early 2000s. UFC President Dana White is a close ally of Trump, and UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings, the same company that owns WWE.