Trump 80: UFC Cage Fight at the White House – Protests and Criticism

The complex was covered by a massive dome that, under the name "The Claw," made the White House itself appear visually smaller. In the nearby Ellipse Park, a fan festival began on Saturday, with more than 120,000 visitors expected on Sunday. Due to security precautions, streets around the White House were closed on a large scale.

UFC and MMA: A Sport with a Bloody History

The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is a professional league for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), which combines techniques from boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, karate and jiu-jitsu. Unlike professional wrestling, the fights are not staged; bleeding, broken bones and knockouts occur regularly, as reports state. Mutual provocations and humiliations by fighters in the ring and at press conferences are part of the business.

Trump is known as a UFC fan and as a friend of UFC President Dana White, who had publicly supported him during his first election campaign. According to reports, White in turn introduced Trump to numerous influencers and podcasters, including 20-year-olds who interviewed him. Podcaster Joe Rogan, who commentates UFC fights, also interviewed Trump during the campaign – the conversation reached millions of people. Rogan said the phrase "So America" for the live commentary of the event. In recent months, Rogan had increasingly criticized Trump and called his voters "dopes," before, according to White's account, ultimately supporting him as a presidential candidate.

Trump's Connection to the UFC: Stocks, Celebrities, Propaganda

At the end of March, according to published presidential transactions, Trump came into possession of shares in UFC parent company TKO worth up to 50,000 US dollars. The US broadcaster Paramount+ broadcast the fight exclusively; behind the scenes stands the family of software billionaire Larry Ellison, who is considered a Trump supporter. Critics accuse the event of bringing new subscribers to the streaming service. For the event, the UFC is reported to have spent around 60 million US dollars.

White has been building the organization for about 25 years, according to his own account; at the time, the UFC brand was reportedly worth about two million dollars. The connection between Trump and the league dates back to its early days, when UFC fighters faced off in one of Trump's casinos. According to sociologist Kyle Green, who researches sports culture at the State University in Brockport, "Dana White has always understood politics as transactional." Green, who describes himself as a long-time UFC fan, said of the spectacle: "This event is just the cherry on top."

Prominent Republicans had also been critical in the past: Former presidential candidate John McCain once condemned the UFC as "human cockfighting." Green emphasized that the UFC is "a celebration of masculinity" and pointed to the audience that, within American sports, leans most strongly toward the political right and shows an interest in conspiracy theories – although not all UFC fans are Republicans. Of the UFC clientele, he said: "Part of the history of men has often been that they wanted to regain their self-confidence."

Headwind: Lawsuit Dismissed, Protests Take Shape

At the same time, issues such as the Epstein files and the war with Iran have, in Green's words, made parts of the UFC base increasingly dissatisfied with the government. A survey by Yale University found that around 70 percent of respondents under 30 were dissatisfied with Trump's presidency. During the third game of the NBA Finals in New York, Trump was booed on the big screen during the national anthem.

In the run-up to the event, critics had attempted to stop the event with a lawsuit. They accused Trump of granting the UFC boss and his company access to the White House for a private, for-profit sporting event with advertising and branding opportunities. A court dismissed the lawsuit, citing among other things that the objections had been filed too late.

The "No Kings" protest movement mobilized against the spectacle. It organized "Watch Parties" nationwide over the weekend – gatherings in private homes, community centers or stores – at which a counter-concert in New York was to be broadcast. According to the "Committee for the First Amendment," performers on stage included actresses Jane Fonda, Bette Midler and Julia Roberts as well as musicians Rufus Wainwright and Patti Smith. In a statement from the organizers, it said that people should follow the concert "while the president tries to distract the country with his UFC cage fight spectacle." A year earlier, on Trump's 79th birthday, millions of people had joined the "No Kings" call.

Reactions in Washington: Euphoria, Irritation, Police Operation

Meanwhile, fans in Washington themselves were partly irritated by the choice of location. An 18-year-old fan named Jordan from the neighboring state of Virginia, who was walking through the capital in a UFC shirt on Friday, said the location of the fights was "kind of weird." He added: "But politics aside: I enjoy all the fights that take place, and I'm really looking forward to it." The security situation around the event caused additional tension: On the lawn of the National Mall in front of the Capitol, a slogan with the digits "8647" was discovered according to police, prompting an investigation.

MMA was frowned upon as a sport in Germany at the beginning of the millennium and was temporarily subject to a TV ban. In the US, the sport has become increasingly mainstream since the early 2000s and is particularly popular among men. With the appearance in front of the White House, the linkage with Independence Day and Trump's birthday, the combination of sport, politics and symbolic politics has now reached a preliminary peak.

The fight was broadcast exclusively on the paid streaming service Paramount+. Critics see the event as another example of how state symbolism, private business interests and the president's personal preferences intertwine. For Trump, who watched the event live on site, the evening was simultaneously a birthday celebration, a patriotic staging and a display of a long-standing friendship with Dana White.