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.
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 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.
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.
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.”
“The fighters will actually walk from the Oval Office to the octagon,” he added.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
