Trump super PAC plans $1M fundraiser ahead of White House UFC spectacle
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump’s political action committee is expected to hold a high-dollar fundraiser just hours before a historic UFC event on the White House grounds, creating a weekend that mixes politics, entertainment, and fundraising in an unprecedented way.
Trump's PAC, MAGA Inc., plans to hold a $1 million-per-person fundraising event at Trump's golf club in Northern Virginia on Saturday, the day before the president hosts Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on the White House South Lawn, NBC News reports. Organizers insist the two events are separate, but the scheduling has drawn scrutiny since many of Trump’s wealthy supporters are expected to attend both.
Fundraiser scheduled before White House UFC event
The exclusive gathering will take place at Trump's golf property outside Washington and is expected to benefit MAGA Inc., the super PAC closely aligned with the president's political agenda.
People familiar with the UFC matches and the fundraiser said they are independent of each other.
But a person who has a ticket to the UFC event and plans to attend the fundraiser said that while the two events are separate, “I certainly do not think the timing is a coincidence,” in that some of Trump’s well-heeled supporters may go to both.
A person close to the company said that the sponsorship revenue will “help offset UFC’s cost to put on the event” and that none of the money will go to Trump or to his political or private business interests.
The UFC matches, scheduled for Sunday evening, are part of White House celebrations marking America's upcoming 250th anniversary. Trump has heavily promoted the event and described the specially constructed fighting venue as a major attraction.
Trump has a long-running relationship with the UFC and is close to its president and CEO, Dana White. Trump has attended three UFC matches since his second term began; he went to two other UFC events during his 2024 campaign.
White has been a loyal political supporter, speaking in support of Trump at past Republican presidential conventions.
Legal challenge targets White House plans
The upcoming UFC showcase has also sparked legal scrutiny.
A lawsuit filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project seeks to block the event because, it says, it improperly uses the White House grounds for a “for-profit” event and will make money for a private company, the UFC.
“This plan is deeply corrupt,” the lawsuit reads. “The event, billed as ‘UFC Freedom 250,’ is (as the name suggests) being organized by the UFC, whose chief executive, Dana White, is a close friend and ally of the President.”
“The event will likely be profitable for the UFC and its partners,” the lawsuit alleges.
The White House told NBC News it believes the lawsuit is “obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory.”
Meanwhile, UFC parent company TKO Holdings has maintained that the event is expected to lose money rather than generate profits. Company executives have previously estimated that the weekend's festivities and production costs could exceed revenues by tens of millions of dollars.
The fundraiser is at least the sixth such $1 million-per-person event held by Trump-aligned groups for the midterm elections.
Republicans at nearly all levels hold a significant midterm cash advantage over Democrats, who expect to be outpaced financially in many key House and Senate races.
