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As his Iran war causes economic shock and his Hill clashes with his party continue, President Donald Trump is throwing himself a massive 80th birthday celebration.
Trump is set to mark the moment with a $60 million-plus UFC match on the South Lawn. Its massive scale speaks to his affection for ambitious construction projects — a 600-ton steel structure was built to stage the fights — and his desire to “showcase DC” after directing tens of millions of dollars to sprucing up the city, as one White House official put it to Semafor.
The president also wants, after six long months of military intervention and Republican drama, to reconnect with Americans who haven’t tuned in closely. But while some might see a political strategy in the event, given that UFC’s fans include some of the same infrequent, working-class, and young male voters Trump famously drew out in 2024, keeping those voters in the GOP fold isn’t a major goal of this weekend.
Instead, like the World Cup and the events Trump has proposed to spotlight DC during the US’ 250th anniversary celebrations, the UFC match is seen internally as a moment to hype America itself. Mid-war, with the economy wobbling and NATO frayed, the Trump administration is attempting to show its unifying side.
“UFC is also going to bring athletes from across the world, so it’s a great opportunity — kind of like the Olympics and like the World Cup — to support our American athletes,” Cate Dillon, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the State Department, said in an interview, adding that “it’s a great way to support other countries as well.”
The timing of Trump’s choice has its critics, even among his allies; some of them would prefer the administration prioritize midterms that are looking rough for the GOP.
“It’s a spectacle that we don’t need right now,” one person close to the White House argued. “Worry less about the Octagon and more about a strategy heading into October and November. Voters are exhausted of the spectacles.”
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Administration officials and advisers bill the UFC match as sports diplomacy — giving other countries a counter to the Trump-era chaos playing out on the world stage and even sometimes during Oval Office meetings with other heads of state.
During the Thursday signing of an agreement for future government cooperation with the UFC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio touted sports as “one of those few things” with universal appeal.
The State agreement also provides a potential business opportunity for UFC, whose founder Dana White is a longtime personal friend of Trump’s, by tapping the government to put together youth clinics and mentorship programs within the company.
Dillon said the Thursday pact will also allow the administration to send UFC athletes, coaches, and executives overseas as unofficial sports ambassadors. That includes the ability to host watch parties at embassies and other US spaces.
It’s not the only such deal in the works. State signed an agreement earlier this year with the NFL, which will hold its first regular-season game in Australia this fall, and more public-private partnerships could follow.
“The United States, we are open for business. We are open to partnering with other sports, with other major leagues, whenever it makes sense,” Dillon said.
She told Semafor that the UFC fight is “a great way” to increase outreach to a younger demographic globally that the US has at times struggled to effectively target.
The UFC match also casts an international spotlight on Trump’s remaking of the physical White House. During his second term, he’s paved over the Rose Garden and turned it into a supper club to host prominent Republicans; added gold accents to the Oval Office and installed a “Presidential Walk of Fame”; and, most famously, demolished the East Wing to build a ballroom that’s still caught up in a court battle.
Outside the White House grounds, he’s spent $14.2 million to renovate the Reflecting Pool — a much higher cost than initially projected — and repaired multiple fountains in DC, redirecting upwards of $67 million in National Park fees to cover projects.
“This entire presidency from 2016 has been a presidency of doing things in a very non-traditional way,” the White House official said. “This is just the next iteration.”
And Trump’s hosting of the Sunday match doesn’t just reflect his fixation on buildings. He’s also a longtime sports fan who’s appeared at multiple major events as president, including the US Open tennis championships, the Ryder Cup, the Super Bowl, and most recently Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
In addition to the UFC fight and August’s scheduled Grand Prix through downtown DC, the US is hosting the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Trump is scheduled to help present the trophy to the World Cup winner, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who presented him with a “peace prize” last year after he lobbied unsuccessfully to win a Nobel.
Shelby’s view
Like much of Trump’s second-term moves, the strategy behind the UFC event comes down to his desire for a global show-stopping moment that draws attention to his Washington beautification.
Sunday’s event, with security and law enforcement costs footed by taxpayers, is happening “because he thinks it’s cool,” another person close to the White House said.
He’s also clearly concerned about his legacy — but that doesn’t necessarily mean the domestic audience he once spoke to is fully listening.
A majority of white voters without a college degree disapproved of Trump’s performance in a CBS poll last month.
Room for Disagreement
While others close to the president see personal motivations at work, the White House is leaning into the diplomatic benefit.
“By partnering with organizations like the NFL and UFC to advance sports diplomacy initiatives, the Trump Administration is celebrating American excellence, expanding our nation’s sports culture to new markets, and strengthening our ties with countries around the world,” said White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales.
Notable
- Trump played on the soccer team at the New York Military Academy but has been relatively disconnected from the sport in recent years since, The Atlantic reported.
- The State Department is embracing the sports diplomacy aspect by welcoming a German tourist visiting for the World Cup who has gone viral online for his tour across America.