The Trump administration has sensationally told a group of plaintiffs suing to prevent a UFC fight from taking place on White House lawn to simply “avert their gaze” over the weekend.
The administration also argued that the event is lawful and that the plaintiffs had waited too long to file their lawsuit.
Two Washington-area residents have petitioned U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta for a temporary restraining order to halt the June 14 UFC event.
They contend that sporting events are prohibited on the White House’s South Lawn and that the 92-foot-tall, octagon-shaped structure being erected for the fight lacks the necessary Congressional approval. The lawsuit further alleges that the National Park Service and the Interior Department unlawfully authorized the event and seeks to overturn that approval.
The White House event, dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” is set to coincide with Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, with weigh-ins planned for the Lincoln Memorial.
In a court filing, the Trump administration asserted that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated they were likely to succeed in their claims, nor had they shown how they would be harmed.
“It would be easy enough to simply avert their gazes for the weekend,” the filing stated. “Instead, they seek to enlist the power of a federal court to impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country and ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America.”
The plaintiffs countered, “This nation’s public monuments should not be loaned out for private exploitation.” However, the administration maintained that regulations do not prohibit such events and that the White House South Lawn has a history of hosting public gatherings.
Donald Trump’s association with UFC dates back to the early 2000s, when he hosted events at his now-bankrupt Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. UFC Chief Executive Dana White is a close ally of Trump. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
