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Trump Pushes $60 M Permanent UFC Octagon at White House

6/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump proposes making the temporary UFC octagon on the White House South Lawn a permanent fixture.
The arena costs about $60 million, with UFC and its parent TKO Group Holdings paying the entire amount.
White House officials say the president is in excellent health, has gained 14 pounds since his 2025 physical, and social-media users call the octagon a desecration of the White House, tacky and ghetto.

History

Historical Context

In 1993 President Bill Clinton installed a quarter-mile jogging track on the South Lawn driveway, a private fitness addition that followed earlier recreational changes such as Nixon’s basement bowling alley. President Donald Trump’s 2025 proposal to mount a UFC octagon on the South Lawn continues that pattern, coming after the administration also erected an 88-foot flagpole on the lawn.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump proposes making the temporary UFC octagon on the White House South Lawn a permanent fixture.
The arena costs about $60 million, with UFC and its parent TKO Group Holdings paying the entire amount.
White House officials say the president is in excellent health, has gained 14 pounds since his 2025 physical, and social-media users call the octagon a desecration of the White House, tacky and ghetto.

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