US President Donald Trump shows a rendering of the upcoming “UFC Freedom 250” event as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on May 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. An Ultimate Fighting Championship event will be staged on the White House’s South Lawn in June. The June 14 event has been dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” in reference to the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations this summer. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
A federal lawsuit was filed over the weekend regarding the UFC event scheduled for June 17, at the White House. That suit argues that the Department of Interior and the National Park Service violated federal law by scheduling the UFC Freedom 250 fight card on public property and failing to obtain congressional approval for the construction surrounding the event.
The Public Integrity Project in the District of Columbia filed the suit with the federal district court for the District of Columbia. According to the plaintiffs, the event is “a corrupt scheme to hand the White House South Lawn and Lincoln Memorial to a private, for-profit sports promoter in violation of federal law.”
Paul Romano, who has run for office as a Republican, of Springfield, Virginia, a retired Air Force Sergeant and Vietnam War medevac veteran, and Susan Douglas, a Democrat, from Alexandria, Virginia, a longtime civic activist and organizer, are behind the lawsuit.
“I served in Vietnam. I’ve been to the Wall and seen the names of my childhood friends who stood the watch and gave their all,” said Paul Romano. “The Lincoln Memorial is sacred ground, and it honors everyone who has ever worn this country’s uniform. Using it as a backdrop for a for-profit cage fight so the President and his friends can make money is a desecration.”
“The President arranged to hand two of America’s most cherished monuments to a private corporation so he and his allies could profit from them. That is corruption,” said Susan Douglas. “These monuments belong to all of us Americans, not to Dana White, not to advertisers like Crypto.com, and not to Donald Trump. We’re asking the court to enforce the law because the administration refuses to.”
“This is a profoundly corrupt scheme to enrich the President and his friends,” said Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project. “If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected. We plan to stop that.”
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 11: US President Donald Trump is seen in attendance alongside UFC President and CEO Dana White during the UFC 327 event at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Zuffa LLC
The UFC Freedom 250 fights are scheduled to take place inside the UFC Octagon on the South Lawn, while the ceremonial weigh-in for the event is scheduled for Saturday night at the Lincoln Memorial.
The suit gives three reasons the event should be halted.
Violation Of National Park Service Regulations
The White House South Lawn and the Lincoln Memorial are designated federal park lands under the National Park Service, which prevents them from being used for sports events. The exception, the “America250 Rule,” applies to events “planned, organized, and executed by executive departments and agencies or the Semiquincentennial Commission.” The plaintiffs argue that the UFC, under CEO Dana White, is “planning, organizing, and executing the event.”
According to ESPN, a spokesperson for the Freedom 250 organization said, “Freedom 250 has not been responsible for the operations, logistics or funding of the UFC White House event.” The spokesperson added that no money from Freedom 250 has gone to the White House card.
Cost To Taxpayers
White has estimated the costs to repair the South Lawn following Sunday’s event will run in the range of $700,000. According to the suit, “Under the National Environmental Policy Act, major federal actions with significant environmental effects require a public environmental assessment or impact statement before proceeding. No such review has been conducted or made public.”
The full complaint can be read here.
According to the New York Times, the case has been assigned to Judge Amit P. Mehta, an Obama appointee in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. Mehta has not set a date or time for a hearing. The plaintiffs have requested a decision on the case by Thursday.
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