Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump hosts UFC event on White House South Lawn for 80th birthday — President Trump organized and hosted UFC Freedom 250, a professional mixed martial arts event, on the White House South Lawn on June 13, 2026, featuring seven fights including a lightweight championship unification bout. The event drew approximately 4,300 attendees, including 1,200 active-duty military personnel selected under strict fitness criteria. A watchdog group's legal challenge to block the event was denied by a judge. Trump had purchased up to $50,000 in stock in TKO Group Holdings, the UFC's parent company, earlier in 2026.
• Stunt performer performs backflip over UFC octagon on White House South Lawn — Stunt performer Travis Pastrana performed a backflip on a dirt bike over the UFC octagon fight arena positioned on the South Lawn of the White House. Other riders performed additional stunts, with all activities filmed against the facade of the White House building.
• Federal judge permits UFC event at White House despite legal challenge — Attorneys from the Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit to block a UFC fight scheduled for the White House lawn on Trump's 80th birthday (billed as a 250th anniversary celebration). On Friday, a federal judge ruled the event could proceed. The lawsuit challenged the appropriateness and use of taxpayer funds for the mixed martial arts event, which Dana White said was Trump's idea. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the venue but expressed hope the event would be successful.
• Judge Mehta rejected lawsuit challenging UFC White House event — Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected a lawsuit filed by a political activist and military veteran from Virginia seeking to stop the White House cage fight event. The plaintiff challenged the event as "deeply corrupt," arguing it uses national monuments to promote private businesses in which Trump holds financial interests and that the administration improperly invoked the 250th anniversary to bypass environmental review and congressional approval. Judge Mehta ruled that the plaintiff lacked standing to challenge the event and that the time and money invested in the event outweighed any temporary harm the plaintiff suffered.
• Federal agencies and UFC invested $60 million in White House cage fight event — Federal agencies and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are investing at least $60 million toward a White House cage fight event scheduled for Trump's 80th birthday on Sunday, June 14, 2026. The funding has paid for a fighting arena on the South Lawn of the White House and approximately 900 workers since May 20, 2026. Trump owns significant stock in TKO Holding Group, the parent company of UFC.
• Trump holds $60 million UFC fight on White House South Lawn funded by corporate entity — Trump marked his 80th birthday by holding a UFC fight on the White House's South Lawn, an event that cost at least $60 million paid for by UFC's parent company TKO and required assistance from more than seven federal agencies. Some fighters received bonuses paid in cryptocurrency from the Trump family's World Liberty Financial. The event blurred the line between private entertainment and official use of federal resources and presidential facilities.
• UFC announces fighter bonuses in Trump family cryptocurrency at White House event — The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced it will pay performance bonuses to fighters in USD1 stablecoins issued by World Liberty Financial, a Trump family cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons in 2024. The event, UFC Freedom 250, is scheduled for June 14 on the White House south lawn on Trump's birthday. World Liberty Financial is listed as the "Presenting Partner" of a $250,000 bonus pool. The arrangement directly connects Trump family financial interests to a high-profile government property event, raising conflict-of-interest concerns despite White House claims that Trump's assets are held in a trust managed by his children.
• White House hosts UFC fight event with corporate sponsors and Trump family business involvement — The White House hosted a professional UFC fight card on Trump's 80th birthday, featuring seven matches on the South Lawn. The event included sponsor logos from crypto platforms (Stake, Polymarket, Crypto.com), a Trump family stablecoin (World Liberty Financial), and other corporate entities. Fighter Josh Hokit made a false conspiracy claim about Michelle Obama during a post-fight interview. A legal challenge to block the event failed on Friday. The broadcast aired on Paramount+, controlled by billionaire Larry Ellison, a Trump ally.
• UFC event held on White House grounds using Bicentennial exemption — Trump held Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on the South Lawn of the White House on June 15, circumventing restrictions on using White House grounds for such events by claiming the event honored the nation's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, for which Congress had suspended normal regulations. The event was sponsored by World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency company.
• UFC fighter Josh Hokit makes sexist, racist, transphobic statement about Michelle Obama at White House event; Trump does not condemn — At a UFC event on the White House south lawn on Sunday, June 15, 2026, fighter Josh Hokit shouted a false, sexist, racist conspiracy theory about former first lady Michelle Obama into a microphone in front of President Trump. Trump appeared to half-smile in response while some audience members laughed. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Despite calls from Trump allies, media figures, and civil society for the president to condemn the statement, Trump remained silent on the matter.
• Allegations of Cheating in White House UFC Fights — President’s son says screenshots that appeared to show him asking analyst Daniel Cormier for information were ‘fake’
• World Liberty Financial became UFC event sponsor and received cash payments — On June 15 at 9:30 p.m., the UFC issued a press release announcing that World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency company overseen by Zach Witkoff, would be the "Presenting Partner" of a new $250,000 Performance of the Night bonus pool. Under this arrangement, UFC gives cash to World Liberty Financial, which distributes cryptocurrency to fighters and invests the cash in U.S. Treasury bonds while keeping the interest.

Supporting reports

• Trump Declares Columbus Day a Celebration of “Original American Hero” — President Trump declared Columbus Day a celebration of the "original American hero," a move seen as an attempt to inflame cultural divisions rather than address pressing governance issues.
• Trump installs Christopher Columbus statue on White House grounds — President Trump had a 13-foot, one-ton statue of Christopher Columbus installed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds on October 13, 2025. The statue was reconstructed from pieces of an original monument torn down and dumped into Baltimore's inner harbor by protesters in 2020. Trump framed Columbus as "the original American hero" and pledged to ensure he was "honored as such for generations to come," positioning the installation as a counter to recent efforts by some jurisdictions to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day recognition.