Fact Check: Did Trump's UFC event website crash due to LGBTQ+ groups buying tickets?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral claim is making the rounds online, alleging that large numbers of gay men are planning to attend the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn. The claims also shared that the Trump UFC event website crashed because of an organized ticket-buying effort by LGBTQ+ groups. 

The event, scheduled for June 14, 2026, Flag Day and President Trump's 80th birthday, is expected to be a centerpiece of America's 250th anniversary celebrations and would mark the first professional UFC event held at the White House. As social media users circulate claims about an organized effort to attend the event, the story has gained significant traction online.

Claim: LGBTQ+ groups caused Trump's website to crash by buying event tickets

It remains unclear where the rumor originated. However, an X account named @halfwaypost helped amplify the claim by posting that gay men were planning to attend the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn.

The account wrote: "BREAKING: A viral joke on social media to turn Trump's White House UFC fight on America's 250th birthday into the 'gayest party in U.S. history' is becoming real as hundreds of gay men are actually buying tickets and planning to show up shirtless, glittered up, and very flamboyant."

Hours later, the same account shared another post claiming: "BREAKING: So many LGBTQ+ groups are reportedly buying tickets to Trump's White House UFC fight to co-opt it into an 'America's Coming Out of the Closet Party' that Trump's website crashed."

The claims quickly spread across social media as interest grew around UFC Freedom 250, a highly publicized event scheduled to take place on the White House South Lawn as part of the America 250 celebrations. According to organizers, the event is expected to mark the first professional UFC fight hosted at the White House and is planned to coincide with President Trump's 80th birthday. Reports indicate that preparations for a temporary arena are underway, while the event has already generated significant media attention, political debate, and online discussion.

Fact Check: False, no reports support claims that Trump's White House UFC event website crashed

No evidence supports the claim that LGBTQ+ groups are buying tickets to President Trump's White House UFC event in such large numbers that they caused the event website to crash. A review of available news reports, public statements, and social media posts found no credible evidence of an organized LGBTQ+ ticket-buying campaign.

While there was a legitimate website issue associated with UFC Freedom 250 earlier in 2026, it involved overwhelming public demand for free Fan Fest tickets at The Ellipse, a public viewing area connected to the event. Reports at the time attributed the disruption to heavy traffic from UFC fans seeking tickets through a lottery system, not to any specific political, social, or advocacy group. The registration period later closed as scheduled.

The viral claim appears to stem from posts by the X account Halfway Post, a well-known satire and parody account. The account openly describes its content as humorous and fictional, using the slogan, "I don't report the facts, I improve them." The posts about LGBTQ+ groups allegedly planning to turn the event into "America's Coming Out of the Closet Party" fit the account's established style of exaggerated and absurd satire.

As a result, there is no evidence that LGBTQ+ groups organized a campaign to purchase tickets for the event or that such activity caused a website crash. The claim appears to be a joke that gained traction online because it combined Pride Month themes with a high-profile UFC event at the White House. Moreover, attendance at the event is expected to be tightly controlled, making any large-scale effort to "take over" the event highly unlikely.