Lawsuit Seeks to Block 5,000-Seat UFC Fight at White House for Trump's Birthday
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jun 7
Lawsuit Seeks to Block 5,000-Seat UFC Fight at White House for Trump's Birthday
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jun 7
Summary
A lawsuit filed Sunday seeks to stop Donald Trump from staging a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn for his birthday.
Crews are already erecting an octagon-shaped cage for a planned 5,000-seat arena outside the White House, with large screens also slated for the nearby Ellipse.
UFC has said it could issue as many as 85,000 free tickets across both locations, though the promotion did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House called the suit an "obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory" effort, arguing the event is comparable to other properly permitted gatherings on the South Lawn, Ellipse and National Mall.
The fight setup is the latest piece of a broader White House building push being led by Trump.