On Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested that the UFC arena being built on the White House South Lawn for a June 14 fight event could remain in place permanently, comparing the project to Paris’ Eiffel Tower.
Trump Suggests Permanent White House UFC Arena
In a video posted to his official TikTok account, Trump referenced the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris and the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
He said it was “supposed to be taken down immediately after the World’s Fair,” but was ultimately kept after public interest grew.
“And then they said, ‘We sort of like it, let’s leave it up a little longer,'” Trump said in the video. “And then, they said, ‘Let’s leave it up longer and longer and longer.'”
He then pointed to a structure being built in front of the White House for an upcoming UFC fight scheduled for June 14, describing it as “quite attractive to a lot of people.”
“I’m looking at it and maybe we’ll never ever take it down,” he added, suggesting the possibility that the temporary venue could remain beyond the event.
White House communications director Steven Cheung appeared to endorse the idea, responding to reports about the arena’s potential permanence with a nodding GIF on social media.
Netflix-Streamed MMA Event
A UFC fight scheduled at the White House was set to coincide with President Trump’s June 14, 2026 birthday and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The event was expected to draw major global attention, but it was potentially overshadowed by a competing MMA showcase held a month earlier by Most Valuable Promotions.
That rival event, streamed on Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) and featuring the return of Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, set a new MMA viewership record and became the most-watched MMA event in U.S. history, surpassing earlier UFC broadcast benchmarks.
Following its success, Most Valuable Promotions said it was exploring additional MMA partnerships with major platforms, including Netflix, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Fox.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock/ Mason Lawrence
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