Dozens of protesters gathered south of the White House on Sunday afternoon to oppose the UFC fights hosted by President Donald Trump on his 80th birthday. Under the banner 'The Real Fight is for Democracy,' demonstrators held signs and chanted as thousands of fight fans streamed past into the viewing area erected on the Ellipse.
Protesters Decry Corruption and Commercialization
Susan Douglas, an organizer with Third Act Virginia, which organized the demonstration, said the event 'reeks of corruption.' She noted that the event was held on Trump's birthday, not as a celebration of the country's founding. Douglas was a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit seeking to block the UFC event, but a judge rejected the case two days earlier.
Protesters displayed a large puppet cage with oversized figures of Trump and his cabinet members, drawing boos from UFC spectators. The bamboo cage was intended to represent a jail cell, symbolizing where protesters believe Trump and his allies belong.
UFC Event Marks First Private For-Profit Sporting Event on White House Grounds
The UFC fights, marketed as a celebration of America's 'fighting spirit' ahead of its 250th anniversary, are the first private, for-profit sporting event ever held on White House grounds. Fighters emerged from the Oval Office and walked to a 92-foot-tall steel cage called 'the Claw' on the South Lawn. VIP guests paid up to $1.5 million for ringside access.
Protesters opposed the event for various reasons, including Trump's stock in TKO, UFC's parent company, and the commercialization of federal park lands. Others objected to the violent nature of cage fighting on federal property while the US continues wars abroad.
Counter-Programming and Community Actions
Code Pink, the feminist anti-war organization, led a separate action with a community meal under the banner 'They Fight, We Feed.' Olivia DiNucci, an organizer, linked the UFC event to militarization and budget priorities, noting the $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget and cuts to social safety nets.
Meanwhile, the Committee for the First Amendment hosted 'Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,' featuring Bette Midler, Patti Smith, and others, streamed to over 500 watch parties organized by the No Kings Coalition and Indivisible.
The protests were part of a broader season of counter-programming against the 'Freedom 250' narrative, with organizers aiming to juxtapose supernationalism, fascism, and militarism with community and peace.
