A federal judge declined on Friday to halt the White House from hosting a UFC event this weekend, featuring an elaborate arena already constructed on the South Lawn to mark the nation's 250th anniversary and Donald Trump's 80th birthday.
Judge's Ruling
US District Judge Amit Mehta's decision permits organizers to utilize the White House lawn for Sunday's planned UFC mixed martial arts event. Attorneys from the non-profit Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit challenging Trump's 'UFC Freedom 250' event on behalf of an activist and a Vietnam War veteran. The plaintiffs also sought a court order to prevent the construction of any structures for the event on White House grounds, including a 92-foot-tall, 600-ton steel structure known as The Claw.
White House Response
The White House dismissed the lawsuit as a baseless attempt to hinder Trump from hosting an event similar to many others routinely held at public venues in the nation's capital. According to plaintiffs' attorneys, Trump's administration cannot issue permits for sporting events on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial, where UFC fighters planned a press conference in front of fans on Friday. They argued that the event is a privately organized, for-profit business venture, with VIP packages costing millions of dollars.
'The President's administration is granting the UFC an extraordinary business opportunity it may not lawfully grant, and in exchange the UFC is throwing an event at which its leadership, fighters, advertisers, and various celebrities will all pay tribute to the President on his birthday,' plaintiffs' attorneys wrote.
Defendants and Background
The National Park Service and the Interior Department are named as defendants in the lawsuit. In 2019, during his first term, Trump became the first sitting president to attend a UFC show. Trump, a Republican, is a friend of UFC President and CEO Dana White. Judge Mehta, nominated by Democrat Barack Obama, has overseen other Trump-related cases, including civil litigation accusing Trump of inciting a mob to attack the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, after his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
