In unprecedented scenes, Trump walked out of the Oval Office alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White and headed towards the giant arena dubbed “The Claw”.
On the way, the reality TV star-turned-president mounted the historic Truman Balcony and saluted while the national anthem played and 12 US military jets staged a noisy flyover of the White House.
Trump then took his place on the South Lawn, beside the mesh-fenced cage called the Octagon, where 14 fighters beat each other bloody in the first professional sporting event ever held at the White House, in an event dubbed "UFC Freedom 250."
A view of UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2026.US President Donald Trump and President and CEO of UFC Dana White make their way to the UFC Freedom 250 mixed martial arts event on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday June 14, 2026.Visitors at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial watch the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcons and U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform a flyover as the UFC Freedom 250 arena on June 14, 2026.America's Michael Chandler waits in the Grand Foyer of the White House before his lightweight bout against Brazil's Mauricio Ruffy on June 14, 2026.U.S. President Donald Trump arrives with UFC CEO Dana White for UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026.Fans watch the featherweight bout between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia on the big screen at the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse on June 14, 2026.Diego Lopes (Brazil) and Steve Garcia (USA) fight during their featherweight bout at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2026.Diego Lopes (Brazil) and Steve Garcia (USA) fight during their featherweight bout at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2026.Members of the U.S. military attend UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2026.Diego Lopes walks out of the White House for a featherweight bout against Steve Garcia during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14, 2026.Diego Lopes (Brazil) sits on the octagon, for his featherweight bout with Steve Garcia (U.S.), at UFC Freedom 250, on June 14, 2026.U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the front row of the match on June 14, 2026.
