Sheryl Crow unleashed a scathing attack on Donald Trump’s UFC birthday bash, describing it as “disgraceful and void of decency.”
Crow has been one of Trump’s most outspoken celebrity critics. Earlier this year, she publicly argued that the president should face impeachment and imprisonment over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
The year before, she took aim at the political climate in her song “The New Normal,” invoking themes from George Orwell’s 1984 and warning about what she viewed as an increasingly troubling direction for the country.
In her latest attack on the president, the singer slammed Trump’s UFC birthday bash in a post on Instagram.
The event was staged on Sunday as part of celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary—and also conveniently coincided with Trump’s 80th birthday.
“What happened last night on the lawn of the White House was disgraceful and void of decency,” Crow wrote.
The event saw more than 4,000 spectators gather at the White House inside a specially constructed arena, where Trump watched from cageside alongside first lady Melania Trump and UFC CEO Dana White.
The event also drew a host of high-profile attendees, including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — a gathering that Crow condemned as an out-of-touch display for wealthy elites.
“Powerful, rich people filled the lawn to watch a violent sport that ended with a vile and racist comment. All while the average American cannot afford healthcare, gas, and cost of living,” she wrote, referencing remarks by heavyweight Josh Hokit during his post-fight interview on Sunday, where he told podcaster Joe Rogan: “Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?”
The offensive comments were later denounced by White, who told Time Magazine: “I understand that the Obamas are public figures, but I’m completely against saying nasty and false things about people’s families. Everyone knows my position on free speech, but I hate that kind of nonsense.”
Crow went on to accuse the administration of corruption and prioritizing profits over ordinary Americans, arguing that events like the UFC spectacle distract from real issues facing the country and urging Americans to reject such politics.
“Do not be fooled. This administration is corrupt and does not give a damn about the American people,” she wrote. “It only cares about making money hand over fist at the expense and in spite of our democracy. If we continue to support this kind of distraction from reality, we are no better than them. Let’s be better, America.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Sunday’s UFC event, which reportedly cost around $60 million, came as Americans grapple with rising energy prices and persistent inflation amid Trump’s deeply unpopular war in Iran.
The contrast appears to have struck a nerve with voters. “It’s a circus rather than a celebration of the country,” one person told MS Now.
Meanwhile, a Navigator Research survey found that 56 percent of registered voters opposed Trump’s UFC birthday bash. The same poll revealed a major disconnect on priorities, with 58 percent of voters saying the administration should be focused on inflation and the cost of living, while only 20 percent believe that is where its attention is currently directed.
CNN pollster Harry Enten pointed to a separate Fox News poll from March showing that 60 percent of Americans—including 80 percent of independents—believe the White House is “out of touch with people like you.”
“You have a White House that is putting on events such as these UFC fights, and you know, Americans’ top issue is inflation,” Enten said.
“And you go to yourself, ‘Oh, OK. Appropriate? No on the UFC fights,’ and then you put it together with what they actually care about—no wonder that the American people, 60 percent say the White House is out of touch with people like them, and 80 percent of independents.”
