Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The UFC event is scheduled to happen on June 14 on the White House South Lawn.
How did you celebrate your last birthday? With cake? Family and friends? Maybe a nice night out dining?
However you celebrated, we feel very confident in claiming that you did not mark your birthday by inviting 5,000 people to watch elite fighters battle in a steel cage erected in your backyard.
But that is part of the plan for US President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday on June 14, as the South Lawn of the White House has been turned into a fighting arena with a steel octagon surrounded by seats for thousands of spectators.
The UFC event scheduled to take place on Sunday has been heavily criticized by political opponents since news of the event broke, and now a federal lawsuit seeks to cancel it.
Fighting words
The Associated Press reported that the Public Integrity Project filed a legal challenge on behalf of two Virginia residents on Saturday.
The group strongly argues that the Trump administration broke the law by approving the June 14 event, as it violates park regulations.
According to the lawsuit, the administration ignored critical steps. National Park Service regulations explicitly ban sporting events on federal parkland.
On top of that, the plaintiffs say Congress never approved the massive arch built over the site, and crews skipped an environmental review.
A corrupt use
Opponents of the fight night are making their anger clear. “This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said Brendan Ballou, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, according to the AP.
The White House quickly fired back against the challenge. In an official statement, officials called the lawsuit “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to block the match. They argued that the celebration is entirely legal.
According to the White House statement, the fight is “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.”
The massive octagon
Crews are currently building a giant octagon cage right outside the executive mansion. Trump has bragged about the scale of the venue, noting that the finished project will include “a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.”
The event is expected to draw massive crowds. Huge screens will broadcast the action to the nearby Ellipse. To accommodate spectators, the UFC plans to give away 85,000 free tickets so fans can watch from both locations.
The temporary arena is just the latest addition to the grounds. It marks the most dramatic change yet in a construction boom led by the president.
