No, that isn’t a Six Flags roller coaster rising above the White House, and no, you’re not seeing things. That structure you see is the UFC Freedom 250 ring taking shape on the South Lawn.
Pictures have been circulating on social media and in news reports of construction ahead of the event on June 14, which is also President Trump’s 80th birthday. The event is projected to hold 5,000 invited spectators, and another 100,000 fans can watch the fight on a screen that will be set up nearby.
Trump and the White House tout the event as “the greatest show on Earth.” But Democrats and the president’s critics have questioned the associated costs for the ring, which the UFC has estimated at $60 million.
The UFC and its parent company, TKO Group Holdings, are covering construction costs for the event. The White House will be responsible for staffing and security costs, a White House official said via email.
The DNC’s official account on X noted Trump’s cuts to healthcare spending in a post about construction of the octagon. The Senate Majority PAC, which backs Democrats running for US Senate, posted to social media: “Trump still has no health care plan, but somehow has a plan to build a UFC arena on White House grounds. Out of touch doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
UFC expects to take a $30 million loss when the event is all over. TKO president Mark Shapiro told the BBC in February that the show is “an investment for the long term.”
UFC President and New England native Dana White, a close friend of Trump’s and one of his loudest supporters in the 2024 election, told TIME Magazine in an interview published on Tuesday that he does not view the fight as a political event.
“I love this country like anybody on the left loves this country. I love this country like anybody on the right loves this country,” White said, who was born in Manchester, Conn., and grew up in Ware before moving to Las Vegas as a child. “This is basically me spending a s***load of money to celebrate the 250th birthday of America, with America and the rest of the world."
A White House spokesman told the New York Times that Trump is hosting the fight as “a testament to his vision to celebrate America’s monumental 250th anniversary.”
This isn’t the only construction project happening under Trump’s watch. The Trump administration is already paying $13.1 million for a contractor to repair and repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. And Trump’s design for a triumphal arch at the entrance of D.C. recently passed a key federal committee — the White House has not provided an official estimate for the monument but a report from Axios estimated it could cost $100 million.
The president is also pushing Congress to pass $1 billion in security money for a White House ballroom, a request that’s raising eyebrows on both sides of the aisle. Trump has said that $400 million for construction costs on the ballroom is being covered by private donors.
Kaitlin Lewis can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @kblewey.
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