Trump's White House UFC Event to Honor America Botches U.S. Flag [View all]
Source: Daily Beast
Updated May 24 2026 2:35AM EDT
Published May 24 2026 1:22AM EDT
President Donald Trump’s vision for an all-American UFC extravaganza is drawing attention for all the wrong reasons.
The president’s plan to host a night of cage matches on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate his 80th and the nation’s 250th birthdays has taken an awkward turn. The American flag featured in the UFC mock-up for the event has a major glitch: It only has 48 stars to represent the nation’s 50 states.
The UFC posted a rendering on X of the big event, which is being held adjacent to Trump’s paved-over Rose Garden, featuring the faulty flag, a giant platform for the contest, and a crowd of seemingly excited spectators. An eagle-eyed observer on X spotted the goof-up.
The flag isn’t the only potential problem for the fight-off. UFC CEO and president Dana White toured the proposed event site last week and was stunned by the overwhelming number of gnats and other bugs. They’re bound to be annoying and could even present a danger to distracted performers, he fears.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-white-house-ufc-event-to-honor-america-botches-us-flag/
Link to tweet
@douglandry
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I don't want to suggest that the fine folks staging the mixed martial arts fight on the White House lawn for the president's birthday are not sticklers for decorum and protocol but their American flag's got 48 stars on it
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2:22 PM · May 23, 2026
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