The White House has transformed the interior of one of its most iconic buildings into a sweaty locker room ahead of President Donald Trump’s ridiculous birthday bash.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, recognized as a National Historic Landmark, received a macho makeover for Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House’s South Lawn, the MMA fight night planned to celebrate Trump’s 80th birthday.
“The inside of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building looks a little different tonight👊,” the White House’s official X account shared on Sunday night in response to the UFC’s post depicting the room’s ridiculous renovation.
Pre-fight lockers for four of the fighters on Sunday’s card, including Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, Diego Lopes, and Derrick Lewis, can be seen occupying space that’s typically meant for the various agencies that comprise the Executive Office of the President.
The lockers contain customized gear for each of the night’s cage fighters, such as warm-up shirts and fight shorts, sponsored by the digital currency trading platform Crypto.com.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced on Friday that it would pay its fighters bonuses with cryptocurrency issued by World Liberty Financial, a Trump family business venture.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The fight night, originally scheduled for 8 p.m. on Sunday, was delayed due to inclement weather in the Washington, D.C., area, including a thunderstorm cell moving toward the metropolitan area.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 11 p.m., while forecasters warned of potential hail and winds of up to 70 miles per hour.
The fights are now expected to begin at 9 p.m.
UFC sportscaster Heidi Androl reported on-air that a shelter-in-place order would be given in the case of high winds and lightning, and would be lifted only after 30 minutes pass since the last lightning strike.
Androl, 45, also said that those located on the White House’s South Lawn would evacuate to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building if a shelter-in-place were to be initiated.
The cage fight matches will take place in the UFC Octagon under “The Claw”—a giant metal structure covered in flashing lights that have proven a hazard for flight landings at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to one commercial airline pilot.
The pilot told MeidasTouch that the glare coming off the giant metal framework was “10 times worse than any laser illumination event” they had experienced before.
When they reported the hazard to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot said they were asked to raise their concerns directly with the White House.
