President Donald Trump’s bizarre UFC bonanza at the White House is expected to kick off a summer of security nightmares as America celebrates its 250th birthday.
The UFC Freedom 250 event happening at the South Lawn on June 14, the president’s 80th birthday, is one of several events expected to trigger extensive security measures as the U.S. commemorates its founding anniversary.
Current and former Secret Service officials have told NOTUS that the upcoming America 250 festivities, World Cup events, and the president’s travel plans have all made 2026 feel like a presidential election year, with a slew of events putting a strain on the agency.
Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said the White House complex is “among the most secure locations in Washington.”
“While the UFC event is historic, it is far from the first major event hosted on the White House campus,” he said. “For this event, and throughout the America 250 and Freedom celebrations this summer, attendees can expect a visible security presence that includes uniformed law enforcement officers, specialized police units, and military support teams.”
The UFC match will be held in a 150-foot-wide arena just outside the White House, dubbed “the claw,” which is expected to host an audience of about 4,000. At the Ellipse, as many as 10,000 Americans could come to watch the spectacle.
Thousands of spectators at the claw will need to undergo the same security screening that White House visitors must go through, insiders told NOTUS. Counter-snipers and counter-drone operators will also be deployed to the area, along with magnetometers, canine officers, and counter-surveillance agents.
Construction of the tacky new arena kicked off in late May, setting off an intensive security protocol that the Secret Service typically uses at political party conventions and similar events. Workers who enter the site undergo a background check and weapons inspection, and when they leave for the night, canine, explosive, and technical security teams sweep the site for any suspicious items. The process restarts in the morning.
“It’s never been experienced before, even when former President Obama was running against John McCain and he was attracting tens of thousands of people wherever he went,” Robert Pacsi, a retired Secret Service leader and event security expert, told NOTUS. “There’s this constant kind of campaign tempo.”
A White House official said coordination efforts have been underway since the fall, adding that the Department of Homeland Security, especially the Secret Service, is ensuring that all attendees will be safe.
“President Trump’s number one priority is the safety and security of anyone who is participating or attending the many events honoring the Nation during our historical semiquincentennial celebrations,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
