The legal challenge claims the US president failed to seek proper approval for a martial arts event to be held on his 80th birthday.
Published June 7, 2026
A lawsuit has been filed to prevent US President Donald Trump from hosting Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts at the White House.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of two Virginia residents, is the first known legal challenge to the mixed martial arts event scheduled for June 14th.
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The event will be held on President Trump’s 80th birthday. It also coincides with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which the United States commemorates on July 4th of this year.
The legal challenge filed Saturday claimed that President Trump did not have proper permission to host the fight.
The event alleged that the event violated National Park Service rules prohibiting sporting events in federal parks, that Congress did not consent to the construction of a towering arch overlooking the event space, and that an environmental review was not conducted before construction.
“This is essentially a private, commercial, corrupt use of one of our most sacred national monuments for personal gain,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Brendan Ballou. “And that’s what motivates this lawsuit.”
The White House dismissed the lawsuit as “obstructionist, baseless and expansive” in a statement to The Associated Press.
The White House asserted that the UFC fights are “no different than the various other events hosted by the White House on the South Lawn and events properly permitted throughout the year on the Ellipse and on the National Mall.”
Crews are building an octagonal fight cage on the South Lawn of the White House, and President Trump said the project will include a “5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”
Participation in the matches will be by invitation only and will be closely monitored. News site Military Times reported earlier this week that the 1,200 military personnel given tickets to the event had to meet certain standards for waist-to-height ratio.
A public viewing area will also be set up at the nearby Ellipse.
Trump has been closely involved with both pro wrestling and the UFC for years, with events held at casinos and event spaces in the past.
He regularly appeared as a version of himself at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) events throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. Linda McMahon, the current Education Secretary, is a co-founder of WWE.
President Trump has recently endorsed the UFC, which is currently owned by TKO Group Holdings, the same company as WWE.
UFC president Dana White is a close ally of President Trump.
Political analysts credit Trump’s embrace of the sport with influencing disaffected male American voters, especially during the 2024 campaign.
