White House UFC cage fights on Flag Day signify America at half-staff

Unexpected violence marked last Saturday night’s truncated White House Correspondents’ Association dinner when a lone gunman made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Trump and other high-ranking administration officials.

That violence contrasts with the presidentially approved violence scheduled for June 14, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship will host “UFC Freedom 250” on the White House South Lawn. It features seven fights beginning at 8 p.m. For readers unfamiliar with the UFC, two fighters engage in hand-to-hand combat using mixed martial arts, often resulting in bloody injuries, concussions and knockouts.

Given Trump’s “fight, fight, fight” persona, he is linking Flag Day, which also happens to be his 80th birthday, with this brutal entertainment. Altogether, Trump will celebrate his longtime fandom for professional fighting, bask in the media spotlight, and make history by holding the first professional sports event on White House grounds. To accommodate the event, a 4,500-seat temporary arena will be constructed.  

Expect millions of Americans to be outraged that the White House is hosting professional violence on the anniversary of the U.S. flag’s adoption in 1777, a day normally marked by flag-flying displays of patriotism and national unity. Perhaps those who control a flagpole and want to protest these White House Flag Day 250 fights should consider flying the flag at half-staff to mourn the passing of American dignity and decency.

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© The Hill