The Octagon on the South Lawn

Our president plans to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday with a favorite combo: corporate sponsorship and sanctioned aggression

With every day that passes in this Trump administration, the threats against free speech, democracy, political organizing, an independent judiciary, and (what feels like) everything Americans hold sacred continue to build. We are forced to watch Stephen Miller blatantly lie to members of the press in an effort to divide us and silence Trump’s opposition before the midterm elections. Every day, new videos are added to our feed of American citizens being abducted by masked ICE goons in broad daylight. Good faith efforts by Democrats to meet and compromise on keeping the government open are used as racist meme material. The East Wing of the White House has been torn down without congressional approval.

And next summer, unless President Trump is persuaded otherwise, we will be subjected to countless images of UFC fighters emerging from the Oval Office to personalized walkout songs, in order to beat the shit out of each other, for recreation, on the White House south lawn.

I know…there are hundreds of more urgent matters threatening America’s citizens and institutions than a televised White House MMA fight. Reopening the government; more organized, less hateful immigration policy; healthcare and energy reform, to name a minimum. But it is still worth considering (if only to steel ourselves) the lasting stain that would be created by celebrating America’s 250th anniversary with a corporatized MMA fight held at our nation’s most iconic building—one also known as “the People’s House.”

For those unfamiliar with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), it is a mixed martial arts fighting league that has existed since 1983, founded by businessman Art Davie and jiu-jitsu master Rorion Gracie. Mixed martial arts is a style of fighting that combines elements of kickboxing, boxing, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and other styles. Though the style requires just as much focus and technique as others, it can appear much more savage to a casual or first time viewer (just look up “UFC Hammer Fist.”)

The league was initially fairly well received in the fighting community but fell on tough times when America seemed to turn against it in the early 2000s on account of its brutality. TV networks refused to air it, venues refused to host the fights, and politicians slammed the sport: John McCain called the UFC “human cockfighting.” Around this time, Donald Trump made a deal with then-new UFC President Dana White to host them at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. With Trump’s endorsement, the league weathered the storm and became the powerhouse that it is today, garnering over $1 billion in revenue and increasing viewership with each year. Does that make it an apt ceremony to celebrate our nation’s founding at our Capitol? Absolutely not.

The proposed event is set to take place on June 14th 2026, which will be Trump’s 80th birthday. According to Dana White (who remains the UFC President and an important Trump ally), “It is definitely going to happen.” The administration’s plans to celebrate America’s 250th will apparently also consist of many events throughout next spring and summer, including unimaginable endeavors like high school athletic competitions run by RFK Jr.

As of this writing, the plan is to have fighters warm up inside the White House and walk through the Oval Office or paved-over former Rose Garden to the Octagon in the south lawn. Press conferences and weigh-ins are supposed to take place prior to the event at the Lincoln Memorial. The UFC’s two biggest stars—Conor McGregor and Jon Jones—both of whom are major Trump supporters (naturally), have said they would like to fight in the event. The only current, openly-known financial aspect is the UFC’s commitment of $700,000 to repair the lawn after the event.

The thought that something so insulting to our history and culture could go largely under the radar in our capital city would be surprising if we weren’t already used to the blatant disregard for norms in civility. Trump is using a picture of a pen to portray former President Biden in the West Colonnade, tried to goad Navy cadets into booing “Barack Hussein Obama,” and posted an AI video of himself showering American citizens with feces–nobody expects the president to conduct himself in a civil manner. But his supporters (in theory) presumably expect him to appreciate and respect American history. Never in that history has there been a corporate-run, nationally broadcasted entertainment event from the People’s House. The first one, if Trump has his way, will be a bloody face-bashing palooza set to the tune of metal guitars blaring over loudspeakers and women in bikinis cheering. Yes, we are on the way to Idiocracy.

The reality is that we are, unfortunately, an American public that is more and more reliant on broadcast entertainment and social media, susceptible to sensational headlines and video content, and increasingly accustomed to violence in our communities. If this fight happens, it will be a sad reflection of the worst parts of our culture in this period of history. The good news is that there is plenty of time before this fight is set to take place. So, when calling your representatives to propose that we reopen our government, say, perhaps use the opportunity to make it clear that you don’t want to see the nation as we knew it dumbed down for its anniversary.