White House to remove Trump UFC arena after he floated keeping it up 'forever'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's public suggestion that the White House UFC might remain indefinitely has been undercut by a new White House confirmation that the structure will soon be dismantled.

The update puts fresh attention on the costly spectacle that transformed the South Lawn. It also contrasts sharply with Trump’s own comments comparing the temporary venue to the Eiffel Tower.

White House confirms UFC arena teardown

A White House spokesperson told The Irish Star that the UFC stage, nicknamed ‘The Claw’ by members of the public, will eventually be removed from the South Lawn.

A White House official told the outlet that the deconstruction process should be “completed by sometime next week”.

That timeline stands in contrast to remarks Trump made in a TikTok video before the UFC event on June 14, when he openly floated the possibility of keeping the structure in place.

“I know that in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, 1889, it was built. It was supposed to be taken down immediately after the World's Fair,” Trump said in the video.

“Let's leave it up a little bit longer. And then they said, 'Let's leave it up longer and longer and longer,'” he continued.

Trump then drew a direct comparison to the White House installation, saying, “Well, they never took it down.”

Trump compared arena to Eiffel Tower

The president also praised the venue while discussing the UFC event.

“And, you know, we're building something in front of the White House that's quite attractive to a lot of people,” Trump said.

“It's going to have the big UFC fight on June 14th,” he added before concluding, “And I'm looking at it, and maybe we'll never ever take it down.”

The video carried the caption, “Maybe We'll never ever take it down.”

Those remarks quickly drew criticism online. One commenter questioned, “Why is he comparing an Eiffel Tower to a UFC Ring?”

Another person joked that the United States was their “favorite reality show”.

Costly South Lawn project faces scrutiny

The arena's removal also revives attention on the cost of restoring the South Lawn after the event.

According to the report, UFC CEO Dana White faces a $700,000 bill to repair the grass following the Freedom 250 event. Accommodating the 5,000-seat venue and ‘The Claw’ reportedly required major changes to the lawn, including flattening sections of the grounds.

White previously acknowledged the scale of the challenge.

“There is no doubt about it, this is going to be the most challenging event we have ever done,” he told Sports Business Journal last October.

Criticism also came from Art Davie, a former UFC owner and Trump’s former bunkmate at the New York Military Academy.

“I think that Trump was always looking for something to glorify what he’s doing,” Davie told the Daily Beast.

Davie was even more direct about suggestions that the structure could become a lasting fixture, saying discussions about turning it into “some sort of a permanent Lincoln Memorial-type of structure” were “crazy”.

With dismantling now expected within days, the White House has effectively closed the door on Trump’s public vision for the arena, even as questions remain over the cost and impact of the temporary installation.