Two Virginia residents filed a lawsuit Saturday seeking to stop President Donald Trump from hosting a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn as part of America's 250th birthday celebration. The suit was filed against the National Park Service and the United States Department of the Interior, according to Variety, which reviewed the filing.
The event, called UFC Freedom 250, is scheduled as part of the country's semiquincentennial observances. The lawsuit raises several conflicts of interest, claiming the event would financially benefit Trump allies including Paramount-Skydance CEO David Ellison and UFC CEO Dana White. It also claims Trump this year purchased "up to $50,000 worth of stock in TKO, UFC's owner."
The core legal argument centers on the National Park Service's permitting rules, which the suit states hold that "no special events of any sort, including any sporting events, may be held on the South Lawn or at the Lincoln Memorial. Nor may structures be erected on the South Lawn without express authorization from Congress and a thorough environmental review."
The plaintiffs acknowledge that a temporary exception exists for events connected to the 250th anniversary celebration, but argue the UFC fight does not qualify. The suit contends that UFC Freedom 250 is "a private, for-profit sporting event" organized by the UFC, its broadcast partners, and advertisers, not the federal government.
"And it is not in any material sense a 'celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence' — it is, instead, a celebration of the UFC's brand and the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump's birth," the suit states, according to Variety.
The case remains pending in court.
