A Democrat-leaning group is suing to stop the UFC Freedom 250 fights at the White House next weekend, arguing that it is a “profoundly corrupt” event in which President Trump and his political allies will gain financially.
The lawsuit by the Public Integrity Project, a nonprofit legal organization that aligns itself with Democratic Party causes, said the fights violate a National Park Service regulation that bans sporting events on federal parklands.
“This is a profoundly corrupt scheme to enrich the president and his friends,” said Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project. “If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected. We plan to stop that.”
Events planned by the Semiquincentennial Commission can be exempted from this rule, but the Public Integrity Project cited reports saying that the Semiquincentennial Commission has no responsibility for the fights.
The lawsuit argues that Mr. Trump, UFC Founder Dana White and other Trump allies are overlooking this rule so they can personally profit from the fight, scheduled for June 14, which is also the president’s 80th birthday. It said the event was not a celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence but a “celebration of the UFC’s brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.”
The suit was filed on behalf of two plaintiffs, activist Susan Douglas and Vietnam War veteran Paul Romano, who claim they are suffering “aesthetic” and “procedural harms” as a result of the event.
A White House official told The Washington Times that the lawsuit is “obstructionist, baseless and dilatory” and was filed “simply to prevent Mr. 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.
UFC did not immediately respond to the Times’ request for comment.
UFC is selling VIP packages for between $1 million and $1.5 million per head, according to reporting cited in the lawsuit. The filing also claims that while some of the preliminary fights on that evening’s card will be broadcast on cable networks, the “main card” will be exclusively broadcast on Paramount+.
“In substance as well as formally, UFC Freedom 250 is being planned and operated as a private profit-motivated sports promotion,” the lawsuit said, adding “the event will likely be profitable for UFC and its partners.”
The plaintiffs also allege that Mr. Trump will personally gain from the card’s earnings. Mr. Trump’s financial disclosures from last month show that in March, he purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO, UFC’s parent company.
Mr. White, a longtime Trump ally who stumped for him during the 2024 campaign, has disputed claims that he is personally profiting off the event. He estimated the UFC will lose $30 million on the event and has denied that any tax dollars will be spent on the event itself.
The lawsuit names the National Park Service, the Interior Department and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as defendants.
It also argued that no structure may be erected on federal parklands in the District of Columbia without express congressional authorization. And no such authorization exists for the UFC’s 92-foot, 600-ton steel structure, which the UFC calls “the Claw,” that has been under construction on the South Lawn since May 26.
Furthermore, the plaintiffs’ legal team cited a cost to the taxpayers, saying that Mr. White has estimated that repairing the South Lawn alone will cost $700,000, and under the National Environmental Policy Act, major federal actions with significant environmental effects require a public environmental assessment or impact statement before proceeding, and no such review has been conducted or made public.
The White House promoted the event Sunday night, posting a video of “the Claw” – the 92-foot-tall, 600-pound fighting arena for the event – being built alongside clips of Mr. Trump at past UFC fights, calling it “the biggest fight in UFC history.”
“Buckle up. It’s about to go DOWN,” the post was captioned.
• Kerry Picket contributed to this report.
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