A majority of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s UFC birthday fight outside of the White House, a new poll has revealed.
Dubbed UFC Freedom 250, the White House will host six bouts on the South Lawn on June 14. While the fight card is being promoted as one of the many events commemorating America’s 250th birthday, it also falls on Trump’s 80th birthday.
When asked for their opinion of the White House hosting the fight as part of its Freedom 250 celebrations, 40 percent of Americans said they strongly disapproved, and another 11 percent said they somewhat disapproved, according to a YouGov survey.
Fifteen percent of Americans said they somewhat approved of the fight, and an even lower number, 12 percent, strongly backed it. Another 22 percent were unsure about how they felt.
Construction of a massive UFC stage outside the White House, called “The Claw,” started last month. Trump has suggested the massive structure could stay up indefinitely.
open image in galleryPictures of the South Lawn show the red, white and blue stage’s canopy towering over the presidential residence.
The UFC is said to be paying for the fight, which will feature a lightweight title bout between champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje on the main card.
Trump, who is friends with UFC president Dana White, has touted the fight as the “greatest show on Earth,” with an estimated 4,000 seats on the South Lawn for the audience.
Sponsorship packages that include ringside tickets to the fight have been selling for $1 million or more, a Republican lobbyist familiar with the matter told NBC News in an article published last month.
open image in galleryTrump’s over-the-top birthday fight — to which White has extended invitations to former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and actor-wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, per Time Magazine — comes at a time when everyday Americans are struggling with the cost of living.
US troops will be given tickets to the event, but they must reportedly meet certain physical standards.
In April, the annual inflation rate rose to 3.8 percent, the highest level since 2023, according to government data. Energy costs were also up 3.8 percent from March as the Iran war dragged on.
The war, which Trump started alongside Israel at the end of February, sent gas prices soaring after Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil passageway in the Middle East.
open image in galleryTransportation Secretary Sean Duffy was criticized by Democratic senators for urging Americans to take a road trip this summer in celebration of America’s 250th birthday, given high gas prices.
Duffy defended his forthcoming corporate-sponsored road trip reality show, in which he and his family are filmed taking a cross-country vacation.
“Experiencing your country through the window of a car is a beautiful thing. It actually unites America,” he told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee last Month.
But Senator Patty Murray from Washington state called it “out of touch” at the hearing.
A majority of voters, 68 percent, think Trump is not focused enough on addressing the problems they are facing, while just 29 percent think he is, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released last month.
“Has the president taken his eye off domestic concerns? Voters suggest it’s time to look homeward,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement.