The Memo: Trump’s UFC fight night risks landing with a thud

President Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday Sunday with a night of UFC fights on the South Lawn of the White House.

It’s yet more proof that Trump is radically different from other presidents. And the spectacle carries risks as well as rewards, even as it plays into Trump’s love of showmanship and ardor for the spotlight.

First things first: Taxpayers are not on the hook for producing the event. The estimated staging cost of $60 million is being shouldered by UFC’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

This may not be enough to neutralize the risk that the event could backfire politically, however.

Vast swathes of the American population are struggling with rising costs and strained household budgets. A president celebrating his birthday in such a grandiose way as to draw comparisons with a Roman emperor at the Coliseum seems questionable to many.

“The optics are terrible, and it looks completely tone-deaf to the struggles of the American people,” said Todd Belt, a professor of political science who leads the political management program at the George Washington University.

Belt said that polling around the time of the 2024 election had indicated that “the number one issue that vaulted [Trump] into office was the economy. He has really taken his eye off the ball here.”

Democratic politicians have made similar points.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) linked the UFC event to another controversial project on the White House grounds: the construction of a new ballroom. 

“Trump is building a golden ballroom and for his birthday party — arranging a UFC fight on the White House grounds — while you’re fighting to pay this month’s bills. Could he be more out of touch?” Schiff wrote on social media last month.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted a photo of a vast lighting rig being set up on the South Lawn for the event. “It might be hard to see from this picture” but “Donald Trump is very focused on lowering costs,” she added sardonically.

There is, of course, a very different narrative about Sunday’s events put........

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