Hunter Biden rejects Joe Rogan's UFC defense, says White House isn't Trump's 'Colosseum'

WASHINGTON, DC: Hunter Biden escalated criticism of President Donald Trump's White House UFC event by rejecting podcast host Joe Rogan's defense of it and saying that “to treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for.”

The 56-year-old son of former President Joe Biden instead challenged the decision to stage the spectacle at the White House itself. He argued that the dispute is about who the space belongs to and how it should be used.

Hunter Biden rejects Joe Rogan's defense

The clash began after Rogan defended people attending the UFC Freedom 250 spectacle planned for the White House South Lawn ahead of America's 250th anniversary.

"Like they're mad at people for being there," he said on an episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast. 

"Like, 'Oh, you support Trump.' Like, it's a f***ing fight at the White House. Doesn't mean you endorse foreign policy. Like, shut the f**k up. Just please. Just please stop," Rogan said.

Hunter responded on X (formerly Twitter), saying he had no issue with people attending what he called a "once-in-a-lifetime spectacle." Instead, he accused Trump of treating a public institution as a personal stage.

"My problem is that I believe some of our public spaces are sacred," Hunter wrote. "The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It does not belong to any President. It belongs to the people."

He argued that the event could have been held elsewhere and suggested that placing it at the White House was central to the message Trump wanted to send.

Hunter Biden invokes Rome's Colosseum comparison

Hunter sharpened his criticism by comparing the event to the political spectacles staged by Roman rulers.

"To treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for," he wrote. "This is not Rome. Presidents are not emperors doling out bread and circuses for the peasants."

The comparison referenced the Roman Colosseum's historical role as a venue where emperors used massive public entertainment events to build political support and project power before large crowds.

Hunter insisted that the White House should not be used in a similar way.

"The White House is the People's House," he wrote. "This 'celebration' could have happened in any stadium within a stone's throw of the South Lawn. No one would have had an issue with it. But that was obviously Donald Trump's whole point." 

White House fires back at Hunter Biden's criticism

Hunter Biden also made clear he was not criticizing UFC or its president, Dana White, calling the company "a bona fide American success story."

Instead, he described the planned event as "an exhibition of imperial domination" rather than a celebration of the country.

"The President is our servant. Not our Caesar," Hunter wrote, adding that the White House "belongs to us. All of us." 

The White House quickly pushed back. Spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital, "This was one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America's monumental 250th anniversary."

Ingle added that anyone upset by the event "clearly suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome."