A wave of anger erupted online this weekend after U.S. military honor guards were spotted taking part in the run-up to President Donald Trump's UFC spectacle at the Lincoln Memorial.
The backlash took off after progressive commentator LanaQuest, who posts as RosaSparks, shared video of uniformed service members flanking the memorial's steps as UFC fighters made their entrance. "Those are Honor Guards?" she wrote. "I'm literally flabbergasted. The disrespect is off the charts."
The footage was real. According to the Daily Beast, several U.S. military honor guards appeared on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference on June 12, as fighters strode past Abraham Lincoln's statue — a Getty Images photo confirmed the service members' presence at the commercial event.
Among the loudest critics was liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein, who co-hosts a political show with his brother Ed. "Trump is f------ using Honor Guards at a UFC event on the Lincoln Memorial," he wrote. "No this is NOT ok. Don't you dare call yourself a 'patriot' while supporting this c---." When one commenter asked whether Republicans were comfortable with the scene, Krassenstein replied that they "aren't ok with it" but were "too cowardly to say so."
The criticism cut deepest from those with military ties. Army veteran Skyleigh Uhrich called the display "a f------ disgrace," writing that troops of an earlier era would have faced a court-martial for far less. "So many fought and died and were maimed for this country," she wrote, expressing disbelief that ceremonial service members were being used as props at a cage-fighting promotion.
DemCast's content director also chimed in, writing, "Trump used the Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon — soldiers who escort fallen heroes and heads of state — to usher UFC fighters past Abraham Lincoln’s statue like they’re celebrities on a red carpet. I am LIVID. And everyone else should be too."
Others reached for the GOP's history of manufactured outrage, with one reply noting that Republicans "almost crucified Obama for wearing a tan suit." The Lincoln Project weighed in with a single word: "Disgraceful."
The honor guard flap is only the latest military entanglement in Trump's UFC weekend. CNN reported that troops were offered free tickets to the White House event but had to meet body-composition standards first, with one defense official bluntly summarizing the message to interested soldiers as "no fattys" and another saying Pentagon leaders wanted attendees to "look good" on camera. National Guard members, meanwhile, were stationed at the Lincoln Memorial throughout construction for the event.
The fights are set to take place Sunday on the White House South Lawn — an event timed to coincide with Trump's 80th birthday and billed as part of the nation's 250th-anniversary celebration.