Trump administration officials fired back at critics of the planned White House UFC fight, arguing they can simply avoid the event rather than use an 11th-hour lawsuit to block thousands of spectators from gathering on the South Lawn."It would be easy enough to simply avert their gazes for the weekend," Department of Justice attorneys wrote in a court filing this week."Instead, they seek to enlist the power of a federal court to impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country and ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America."Preparations for the UFC match have been underway on the South Lawn of the White House for weeks, including the installation of a roughly 90-foot-tall steel arch, dubbed the "claw." The Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit over the weekend on behalf of two Virginia residents in an effort to block the event, sparking the government to urge U.S.
District Judge Amit P.Mehta to reject the plaintiffs' bid.The suit targets the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior to seek an emergency injunction to stop the event, which is expected to attract 4,000 spectators to the White House.DANA WHITE DENIES AMERICA 250 UFC FIGHT AT WHITE HOUSE WILL BE 'POLITICAL,' 'NOT AT ALL' ABOUT POLITICSConstruction continues on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 26, 2026, ahead of a UFC match hosted by President Donald Trump to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States.
In the brief, DOJ attorneys wrote that more than $60 million has already been spent, attendees have made travel plans, and the fighters have already begun final weight cuts.They also noted the event has been planned for months, with President Trump first announcing the match in July 2025."This is an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory lawsuit brought simply to prevent President Trump from hosting what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most historic sporting events in our Nation’s history during our semiq...