A federal court has declined to halt Sunday’s show, citing a lack of standing and the scale of preparations already underway
A US federal judge has rejected a last-minute attempt to block President Donald Trump from hosting a UFC event at the White House this weekend.
Trump announced plans in 2025 for a UFC title event at the White House as part of the America 250 celebrations and his 80th birthday, which falls on Sunday, calling it “a birthday party the likes of which you have never seen.” Ahead of the event, the South Lawn has been transformed into a mini-coliseum, featuring an octagon surrounded by thousands of seats and dominated by a 28-meter-tall, 600-ton steel structure dubbed “The Claw.”
The plans, however, sparked public debate, with critics accusing the administration of commercializing national landmarks for private gain. Political activist Susan Douglas and Vietnam War veteran Paul Romano, represented by the anti-corruption nonprofit Public Integrity Project, filed a lawsuit last week seeking to stop the show.
The plaintiffs claimed that officials were improperly relying on a federal rule exempting events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary from certain permitting requirements. They also argued that the event is being run by private entities rather than the government and could financially benefit Trump, who holds stock in UFC parent company TKO Holdings.
US District Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled on Friday that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to challenge the event. While he did not address whether the UFC show itself is lawful, the judge noted that halting it at the last minute would have significant consequences, citing nearly a year of planning and the $60 million spent by the UFC and affiliated organizations on preparations.
“The potential loss of those dollars resulting from a last-minute, court-ordered stoppage cannot be ignored,” Mehta wrote.
In filings defending the event, Justice Department lawyers rejected claims that officials had bypassed federal permitting requirements and argued that temporary structures on the South Lawn were common for special events.
“Temporary structures are ubiquitous on the White House grounds, erected for nearly every special event, yet nobody has ever before suggested that Congress somehow needs to pass legislation for every concert tent or Easter egg roll kiosk,” they wrote, as cited by the media.
The White House welcomed the ruling, with spokesman Davis Ingle telling the New York Times that the court “rightly rejected an untimely and frivolous effort to halt the historic UFC event.”
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Despite the decision, some media reports suggest the event could still be cancelled due to forecasts of severe storms in the Washington area on Sunday.
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