Social media exploded Thursday night after President Donald Trump floated a plan to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with an Ultimate Fight Championship fight on the White House lawn.
Speaking at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, as he took a victory lap to celebrate the passage of his massive spending bill, Trump told rallygoers he wants to mark the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary with a string of events at national parks and historic sites. He also said he wanted a “full championship fight” on the White House grounds.
“We’re going to have a UFC fight. Think of this – on the grounds of the White House,” Trump said Thursday. “We have a lot of land there. We’re going to build a little – we’re not, Dana’s going to do it,” he added of Dana White, UFC's CEO. We’re going to have a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight – like 20,000, 25,000 people. And we’re going to do that as part of 250.”
Reactions online were immediate – and most were stunned.
“UFC fights on the White House lawn really feels like one of those 2015 Onion stories about a potential Trump Presidency,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star correspondent Nick Field wrote on X.
“Uhhh Trump just said there's gonna be a UFC fight from the White House grounds?” Wired senior writer Jake Lahut posted on Bluesky.
“Just how George Washington drew it up in his head,” Hedge Fund manager Spencer Hakimian wrote on X.
“Would be absolutely wild if he and Dana White pulled this off,” One America News Network’s chief White House correspondent, Daniel Baldwin, told his social media followers.
Still, MAGA fans were all in: “Let's go!” pro-MAGA account @JayTC53America posted Thursday. “America is so back!”
Trump: "We're gonna have a UFC fight on the grounds on the White House ... we're gonna do that as part of 250." pic.twitter.com/QPeRLvE5HT
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 4, 2025
