Athletes, right-wing influencers, MAGA musicians and Silicon Valley shills mingled with top Trump administration officials at the president’s tacky birthday UFC event.
The event, ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, happened to fall on President Trump’s 80th birthday, rather than July 4. Several actors and personalities, such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Adam Sandler, were reported to have turned down invitations to the event, so cameras focused on those who did turn up.
Most of the Trump family, of course, were there—though they were forced to sit in the second row of seats as Trump plonked himself down ringside beside UFC CEO Dana White and TKO CEO Ari Emanuel, who is the brother of rumored 2028 Democratic presidential Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel brought his wife, the fashion designer Sarah Staudinger, whose trendy clothing line Staud appears at Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife Bettina Trump, Eric Trump and Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and Tiffany Trump with her husband Michael Boulos sat close to the front, as some of the younger Trumps were also invited to watch the fighters batter one another in a soon-to-be blood-soaked cage.
Trump and Melania’s son Barron, 19, sat behind his parents with the president’s granddaughter Kai, 18, stationed nearby. Donald J. Trump III, who is 17, was there, as was 13-year-old Spencer Trump, the fourth child and third son of Donald Trump Jr. and his ex-wife, Vanessa Haydon. His 14-year-old grandson, Tristan Trump, also from that marriage, was spotted waving a fake $250 bill featuring his grandfather’s face.
Don Jr. was snapped at the event planting a kiss on his new wife, Palm Beach socialite Bettina, weirdly keeping his eyes open as he did so. Melania’s father, Viktor Knavs, who is just two years older than the president, was also spotted.
Outside of the Trump family, a gaggle of billionaires gathered to enjoy the planned violence. Chief among them was David Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and one of Trump’s newest media allies. Just days ago, the president’s administration green-lit a merger between his company, Paramount Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Ellison has been pivotal in MAGAfying the media landscape in the U.S., absorbing Paramount into his Skydance empire last summer. Paramount+ had exclusive rights to the broadcast of the “America 250″ event.
Another MAGA-curious executive present was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who has bent the knee to Trump since he retook the White House in late 2024.
The Meta CEO and his vice president of executive operations, Andrea Besmehn, were pictured greeting the president and first lady. Later, 6-foot-9 British boxer Tyson Fury crashed the photo. The heavyweight was snapped earlier inside the White House.
Within earshot was a pair of Zuckerberg’s biggest critics, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The identical twins, Olympic rowers-turned-crypto entrepreneurs, had a high-profile falling-out with Zuck over who created Facebook. “The pool has spotted the Winklevoss twins hanging out maybe 30 feet from Mark Zuckerberg’s seat. It’s unclear if they have interacted,” New York Post reporter Steven Nelson observed.
Other industry heavyweights were there, too. Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and husband of Serena Williams, was papped, as was Tarek Mansour, the Lebanese-American co-founder and CEO of the online prediction market Kalshi, which has become a source of ethics scrutiny and political controversy in the Trump administration.
Comedians Shane Gillis, Nate Bargatze, and Tony Hinchcliffe were also spotted.
Snapping selfies at the event was the nepo baby, Jack Osbourne, the son of late rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who posted on Instagram that it was the “Ultimate Date Night.”
MAGA regulars like right-wing influencer Nick Shirley and musician Kid Rock were there, as was a flurry of NFL players, as well as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin. Another sports legend, retired soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who played for MLS team L.A. Galaxy towards the end of a glittering career, was seen embracing Trump. Wrestling legend Triple H, who has become a feature on the MAGA circuit of late, was photographed arriving. And less than 24 hours after the Knicks won the NBA championship, the team’s owner Jim Dolan was also in attendance.
Fox News anchors Martha MacCallum and Harris Faulkner were also spotted, as was Joe Kernen of CNBC’s Squawk Box. Kernan also “ran into” MAGA doctor Mehmet Oz and Lee Zeldin, Trump’s Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, at the swanky Cafe Milano in D.C. on Saturday evening.
Also there on the eve of the event was Louis Prevost, the outspoken MAGA brother of the Chicago-born pope, Leo. Politico reported that he and his wife Deborah were spotted alongside Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
“DoorDash Grandma” Sharon Simmons was also papped bustling through the VIP section of the event on Sunday.
Vice President JD Vance was seated three rows back, alongside other Trump officials and Cabinet members. The president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was present despite being in treatment for cancer. FBI Director Kash Patel, not one to miss a party, was also there with his girlfriend, singer Alexis Wilkins.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, his Attorney General Todd Blanche, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, his Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his third wife, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Cheryl Hines, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were among the others packed onto the South Lawn.
