Donald Trump’s plans to host a UFC fight at the White House just hit a serious roadblock. A new legal challenge threatens to derail the highly anticipated event before it even begins.
Donald Trump faces lawsuit over UFC match in White House, claims report
A lawsuit seeks to block United States President Donald Trump from hosting a UFC match at the White House, Al Jazeera reports. Two Virginia residents filed the legal challenge on Saturday against the mixed martial arts event scheduled for June 14. The fight will take place on Trump’s 80th birthday.
The plaintiffs argue that Trump did not receive proper authorization to host the event. Their lawsuit claims the fight violates US National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands. It also alleges Congress did not consent to the construction of a towering arch overlooking the event space.
Additionally, the filing states no environmental review took place before construction began on the South Lawn. Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the event a misuse of national monuments. “This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” Ballou said.
The White House dismissed the legal challenge in a statement to the Associated Press. It called the lawsuit “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory.” Officials maintained the UFC fight mirrors other properly permitted events held on the South Lawn.
Crews have already begun erecting an octagon-shaped fighting cage outside the White House. Trump has said the project will include a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door. Attendance at the fight will remain invite-only and closely monitored.
The Military Times reported that 1,200 service members received tickets to the event. Those attendees must meet certain waist-to-height ratio standards. Public viewing areas will also open at the nearby Ellipse. Trump has maintained close ties with UFC and its president, Dana White. The event also marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory
