Commentary: What a surprise: Trump's UFC Freedom 250 birthday bash was MAGA propaganda (plus fights)
Key takeaways
- Things didn’t even get bloody until the final match in the fifth hour, when Justin Gaethje kicked and punched the crap out of widely favored Ilia Topuria.
- Even so, it was impossible to emerge from watching UFC Freedom 250 without feeling punch-drunk.
- Not because of the fighting; because of almost everything that was not the fighting.
Fireworks go off as Justin Gaethje celebrates after defeating Ilia Topuria in a lightweight title bout during UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn on Sunday. (Saul Loeb / Pool photo) By Mary Mc Namara Culture Critic Follow June 15, 2026 12:05 PM PT 6 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
The president held a cage fight on the White House South Lawn, complete with flyovers, fireworks, mini-skirted “octagon girls” and the surrealistic sight of mixed martial arts fighters striding through historic White House rooms flanked by National Medal of Honor winners.
Despite wide public disapproval for Sunday’s event and much scathing commentary about the political and psychological messaging of Donald Trump’s choice of a Vegas-like spectacle to celebrate his 80th birthday, and the country’s 250th, the sky did not fall, the original Constitution in the nearby National Archives did not tear in two and none of the fighters passed out from the heat or bug bites.