All articles tagged with #ultimate fighting championship
Sean Duffy tore into musicians who backed out of Trump’s America 250 event in Washington, praising traditional family life and church while the White House signaled support as the gathering shifted toward a rally-like tone.
On The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan relays Trump’s almost nonchalant reaction to the idea of a terror attack at the White House UFC event, recounting Trump’s line “We gotta go somehow” after Rogan expressed fear of dying. Rogan and guests joked about the danger and the spectacle, calling the night at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn one of the wildest experiences of their careers, while noting heightened security and the broader political backdrop.
Nate Bargatze attended Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn as a UFC fan, posing for photos with Cheryl Hines and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; a source says the appearance wasn’t political, and Bargatze didn’t publicly comment. The event drew MAGA-linked celebrities and featured a controversial Michelle Obama remark by fighter Josh Hokit, while Bargatze has repeatedly said he avoids politics in his comedy.
Emmy-nominated comedian Nate Bargatze attended Donald Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 at the White House, where Cheryl Hines shared a photo showing Bargatze with Trump and Vice President JD Vance; Bargatze posted nothing himself, and the event—held on the White House South Lawn with several MAGA figures in attendance—was delayed by storms as weather concerns loomed over the seven-fight card.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of a UFC Freedom 250 fan fest near the White House by Secret Service after claiming he’d been banned from Trump’s birthday event for criticizing the president; the event proceeded with Trump in attendance, while UFC chief Dana White insisted Strickland wasn’t banned, just not invited. Strickland later posted videos suggesting possible disorderly conduct charges, adding to his history of provocative remarks.
Trump marked his 80th birthday with UFC fights at the Ellipse on the White House grounds, while music from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs played—one of the disgraced figure’s tracks after Combs’s lawyers talked with the White House about a possible pardon and his ongoing prison sentence added a controversial backdrop to the spectacle, which was delayed by weather.
Storms forced a weather-delayed start for President Trump’s 80th birthday UFC event at the White House, pushing fights from 8 p.m. to about 9 p.m. as a severe thunderstorm watch warned of hail, strong winds and lightning; organizers prepared shelter-in-place plans while attendees, including Trump’s inner circle, watched Diego Lopes knock out Steve Garcia in two rounds the opener, with the event framed by the rain-delay backdrop and weather warnings.
On his 80th birthday, NBC News released a poll showing Donald Trump’s approval at 39% among all adults and 42% among registered voters, a new low for his presidency. Independent voters largely disapprove, while Republicans remain more supportive (82% approve, 58% strongly) but trend downward from March; Trump also loses ground among young and Latino voters, though Democrats hold a slight edge in Congress (49% want Democrats in control vs. 44% for Republicans). Separately, his White House UFC event was delayed by severe weather, adding another distraction to the birthday coverage.
Forecasters warn Sunday could bring heat, thunderstorms, and possibly tornadoes to Washington, D.C., threatening the outdoor $60 million UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn planned for Trump’s 80th birthday, with the exposed arena and crowds at risk—even as organizers hedge on contingencies and prominent figures debate the spectacle's optics.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows only 35% overall approval for Donald Trump and just 16% of Americans think it’s appropriate to stage the America 250 UFC event on his 80th birthday, with 46% deeming it inappropriate. The backlash coincides with multiple GOP states pulling out of the festival and several performers canceling the opening concert, highlighting mounting partisan resistance to the spectacle.
Trump, 79, posted a lengthy Truth Social rant defending his White House ballroom project as costs balloon to at least $400 million, touting additions like a DronePort as essential for national security, while attacking a National Trust lawsuit and its lead plaintiff Alison Hoagland. Meanwhile, work on the White House South Lawn UFC arena and other renovations continues amid criticism of the price tag and priorities.
Trump’s South Lawn is being transformed into a Las Vegas–style UFC arena for a June 14 UFC Freedom 250 birthday fight, towering over the White House and prompting criticism that the spectacle—costing more than $60 million with UFC/TKO covering the bill and no taxpayer money—shifts focus from ordinary Americans; Trump has even tapped UFC-linked investments amid the controversy, while observers like Joe Rogan have called the event gimmicky.
Trump is turning the White House into a major event venue for a June 14 UFC Freedom 250 birthday celebration, with cranes assembling a massive arch and a $400 million ballroom makeover underway, while UFC costs reportedly exceed $60 million. The spectacle, intended to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary and the president’s 80th, has critics arguing it’s a tacky, costly distraction and an eyesore amid ongoing renovations.
Dana White says Trump’s newly renovated Rose Garden is infested with gnats, potentially jeopardizing a UFC Fight Night planned on the White House lawn as part of Trump’s birthday celebration; he suggested using fans to blow insects away, noting his aversion to outdoor fights, while the White House has not commented.