Liberals File Lawsuit to Stop White House UFC Event Celebrating America's 250th Birthday
A federal lawsuit was filed over the weekend to stop an upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship match on the White House South Lawn, which is set to occur on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The Public Integrity Project filed suit on behalf of two Virginia residents who claim the event is illegal because it lacked approval from the National Park Service.
Plaintiffs are also arguing that it did not receive congressional approval or proper environmental oversight, Politico reported.
The match, set for June 14, is also part of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration. Instead of joining in on the fun, liberal activists have yet again turned it into a referendum against Trump.
Even if the commander in chief were spearheading a liberal program that Democrats were clamoring for, they’d still find a way to destroy it, simply because Trump was leading the way.
Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told ABC News, “This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain, and that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”
I’m sure the media coverage that comes with such a high-profile lawsuit had nothing to do with Ballou’s interest in the case. Are we really supposed to believe this is strictly a matter of principle?
The White House issued a statement rightfully slamming the case as blatant lawfare, adding that it’s “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent the president from hosting the historic event, according to Politico.
The statement went on to say that it’s “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
Crews have already begun erecting an octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn in preparation for the celebration. Trump said the result will be “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”
Politico also reported that large screens will broadcast the fights and be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, while UFC plans to issue up to 85,000 free tickets to fans.
Mark Shapiro, who is the president and COO of TKO — UFC’s parent company — said last week that “UFC Freedom 250” will cost the company “upwards of $60 million,” and they are expected to lose $30 million despite sponsorship, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I want to be clear about something: We will not profit from the White House event independently,” Shapiro said. “We will not be making money on America’s 250th anniversary. This is an investment for the long term. This is about earned media.”
“This is about sampling, new fans, casual viewers, a spectacle on a stage that will ultimately expand our audience, our viewership and our success on Paramount+,” he continued.
“We see this once-in-a-lifetime stage as a strategic investment to drive subscriber acquisition at Paramount+, massive audience sampling for the UFC overall, and Super Bowl-like earned media across the globe.”
Dana White, CEO of UFC, also discussed the event and explained why they chose Washington, D.C.
“What this fight is really all about, and why we’re doing it at the White House, is it’s the 250th birthday of America,” he said. “So from the first fight of the night until the main event, we will tell the story of America.”
“You’ve got the far right, you’ve got the far left, and people thinking that this is going to be like some type of political thing,” he added. “This is the 250th birthday of America. That’s the story that we’re going to tell. If you are American, this is relevant to you as an American.”
Time Magazine noted how “UFC staffers have made more than a dozen planning visits to D.C. in the past three months; the organization is installing temporary seats on the South Lawn and will have to foot the bill for damaged grass.”
“The UFC will bring in an 87-ft. canopy to light the Octagon, more than double the height of a typical UFC grid,” the TIME article added. “White insisted on the extra room to ensure that nothing obstructs the White House TV shot.”
This lawsuit appears to be the result of sour grapes against Trump, and frankly, it’s in poor taste. America is a nation worth celebrating. We’ve had many triumphs and tragedies throughout our history, but we still live free.
There’s an abundance of food and financial assistance, access to medical care, a strong faith in God, and if you don’t like it in one state, there are 49 more to choose from.
Most importantly, though, we are shielded by God-given rights that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
America went from 13 colonies to becoming the world’s top superpower at an astonishing rate, and we’re still the envy of the globe.
Rather than drag personal politics into this, people everywhere should show respect for our nation’s freedom and exceptionalism. Maybe they can even give the Trump-bashing a rest so we can all “feel normal again, if only for a short while.”
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