Trump’s Bonkers 80th Birthday Plans Derail Major Summit
The president’s unprecedented plans for cage fighting at the White House are causing havoc for world leaders.

Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Donald Trump’s bizarre plan to hold an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event at the White House for his 80th birthday has reportedly forced some of the world’s most powerful people to reshuffle their schedules.
France has had to adjust plans to host this year’s G7 summit in the town of Évian-les-Bains because it would clash with Trump’s mixed martial arts event on June 14, according to Politico.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced last June that the 2026 G7 summit—where the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union meet to discuss economic policy and other international concerns—would take place from June 14 to 16.

Donald Trump and the other G7 leaders pose at the summit in Canada last year.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Just a few weeks later, however, Trump unveiled big plans for his birthday bash, later designating June 14 as the day when he and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White hope to stage a UFC match on the White House lawn. The start of the annual G7 summit has subsequently been pushed back by a day.
When approached by Politico, Macron’s office declined to confirm that moving the summit to June 15–17 was a result of Trump’s plan to host a cage-fighting spectacle, saying instead that the change was “the result of our consultations with G7 partners.”

The White House shared an artist's impression of what the event might look like.
X/The White House
The idyllic French town of Évian-les-Bains, known for its eponymous water brand, sits on the shores of Lake Geneva and previously hosted the G8 summit in 2003.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump has been discussing his hopes to hold a UFC event at the White House since last year as part of a series of celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
In addition to being Trump’s birthday, June 14 is also National Flag Day.
UFC boss White told CBS News on Thursday that logistical planning for the event is still being ironed out.
“It’s looking like we’ll have 5,000 people live at the White House, on the South Lawn, and then across the street is the park, the Ellipse, and we’re going to have 85,000 people there,” White said. “We’re going to have big screens and we’re going to have a stage, music throughout the day. We’re basically going to take over D.C.”

Donald Trump has attended several UFC bouts alongside UFC CEO Dana White.
Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“The fighters will actually walk from the Oval Office to the octagon,” he added.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.


ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT