White House calls UFC press control claims 'fake news' amid Freedom 250 lawsuit
This is fake news.
— Olivia Wales (@olivia_wales) June 9, 2026
The White House Press Office has credentialed a press pool of 35 members for this historic event on Sunday – expanded from the normal press pool of 21 members.
The pool will be providing full coverage on the South Lawn for the duration of UFC Freedom250. https://t.co/SuAP3CEVJv
WASHINGTON, DC: The White House is pushing back against claims that it handed control of press access to the UFC for an upcoming White House event that is already facing scrutiny over media restrictions and a legal challenge.
The dispute erupted after the Washington Post report said the White House was limiting broader press access to Freedom250 fights on the South Lawn. The taxpayer-funded event is already being challenged in court.
White House rejects UFC credentialing claims
The controversy began after Washington Post media reporter Scott Nover reported that the White House was “ceding control” of press credentialing for the UFC-backed event.
According to the report, the White House Correspondents’ Association informed members that “the White House press corps won’t be allowed on White House grounds Sunday” unless journalists were part of the official press pool or received credentials from the UFC.
Nover wrote that “the White House is ceding control of who gets into the fight event on the South Lawn, in a break with tradition”.
The report also cited an email from WHCA president Weijia Jiang, who told members that only White House pool reporters would have access unless the UFC granted credentials.
“The WHCA has been pushing back on this,” Jiang wrote, adding that officials had informed the group that multiple Secret Service access points would be used and that parts of the White House grounds would serve as staging and filming areas for UFC.
Nover further reported that while the White House traditionally handles credentialing for large-scale events, it was “ceding control of Sunday’s bash to UFC”.
That claim quickly drew a response from the administration.
Olivia Wales cites an expanded White House press pool
White House assistant press secretary Olivia Wales blasted the report in a post on X, calling it “fake news”.
“The White House Press Office has credentialed a press pool of 35 members for this historic event on Sunday – expanded from the normal press pool of 21 members,” Wales wrote.
She added, “The pool will be providing full coverage on the South Lawn for the duration of UFC Freedom250.”
The White House response directly contradicted the report’s central claim that the UFC had been given authority over press access.
The June 14 event is being held to mark President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary. The event is reportedly expected to cost UFC president Dana White about $60 million to produce.
Questions surrounding access are unfolding alongside a legal challenge filed by two Virginia residents. According to the lawsuit, the event violates National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands.
A judge has already ordered the Department of Justice to respond to the lawsuit, which was filed Sunday, leaving both the court challenge and the dispute over press access unresolved just days before the event.
