GLADIATORS ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN
The Commander-in-Chief on his 80th birthday is sponsoring a competition on the South Lawn of the White House: seven Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts in an octagonal cage. What will go on in these UFC bouts? “…half-naked men will punch, kick and choke each other into submission.” It sounds like a Roman gladiator show. The late Sen. John McCain called it “human cockfighting”.
Is public taste in the US so degraded that such an event could be staged on a White House lawn? Perhaps not, but certainly the President’s is. And then there is the money factor. The UFC (presided over by Trump friend Dana White) in 2025 signed a $7 billion deal with Paramount (presided over by Trump ally David Ellison) to stream UFC fights. So as men gouge each other on the White House lawn, promotion is happening and money will be made.
Source: The New York Times, 6/14/26