Before accused sexual harasser Neil deGrasse Tyson joined the show for a softball interview, “Real Time” host Bill Maher dedicated a large chunk of his monologue Friday night to President Trump’s unfortunate Freedom 250 concert series on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., honoring America’s 250th birthday on July 6. “We’re having a 250th birthday […]

This is as sad as it is absurd.

And then there was… one? Going into this past weekend, there were two out of nine artists booked for the “Freedom 250” concerts in Washington, D.C. that were still proclaiming an eagerness to do the gig: Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan. Now that number has been halved, as Morvan, who said he was […]

As Kris Kristofferson might have put it, “Freedom 250” is just another word for a festival with very few acts left to lose. As of Friday morning, five out of nine artists announced roughly 48 hours earlier for the “Freedom 250” concerts on the National Lawn in Washington, D.C. have officially declared their intentions to […]

On Monday night’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart poked fun at President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 concert series after more than half the acts dropped out. “Man, I need good news. I need some relief. And I’ll tell you why,” Stewart said at the top of his monologue. “Because as many of you […]

As the United States of America inches toward its 250th birthday, Martina McBride is taking a stand against the country’s current administration. On Thursday, shortly after the lineup was announced, the 14x Grammy nominee dropped out of her performance at the upcoming Great American State Fair, which “turned out to be misleading” as part of […]

On the very day the “Freedom 250” concert series was announced, rapper Young MC became the second artist to publicly back out of the government-sponsored festival taking place on the National Lawn in Washington, D.C.. His exit following Morris Day’s statement earlier Wednesday that he and the Time would have nothing to do with the […]

Former Celebrity Apprentice winner Bret Michaels is the latest performer to drop out of the lineup for a series of concerts on the National Mall during the Great American State Fair, which is billed as “a World Fair-style celebration of America’s 250th birthday.” Echoing the sentiments of many others who’ve bowed out, Michaels wrote in a […]

Like his fellow HBO host Bill Maher, John Oliver dedicated the opening portion of his hit show “Last Week Tonight” with a takedown of President Trump’s Freedom 250 concert series celebrating America’s 250th birthday that initially boasted a lineup of not-so-relevant acts like Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory and Milli Vanilli. “It is a stacked […]

Back from the holiday vacation, Jon Stewart began his Monday night stint at The Daily Show in desperate need of “some good news.” “I need some relief. And I’ll tell you why. Because as many of you know, that big Freedom 250 concert that I’ve so been looking forward to,” he began sarcastically, pausing for […]

NPR's Tamara Keith and Jasmine Wright of NOTUS join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including President Trump's control of congressional Republicans, partisan politics and Freedom 250.

WASHINGTON, June 5 — Long before the first punch lands at President Donald Trump’s unprecedented hosting of a UFC fight on the White House lawn, some in the usually ultra-pro-Trump mixed martial arts community are already throwing political blows.

The June 14th event should be ultimate safe territory for the Republican, who will celebrate his 80th birthday that day.

Trump has close ties with the violent, popular sport’s leaders and many of its leading fighters are open supporters.

But jarring tensions are emerging in the run-up to UFC Freedom 250, the event being held in a specially built arena erected over the White House’s elegant South Lawn.

‘Odd’ 

Joe Rogan, America’s top podcaster and a key voice in the UFC world, told his huge audience on May 27 that he found the idea of making top athletes fight outdoors in the June heat “odd.”

“I don’t like it,” he said.

UFC chief and Trump ally Dana White has cited Washington’s infamous insect population as a potential problem for the open-air fights.

Beyond logistical challenges are deeper questions about spending a reported $60 million on a bloody spectacle outside the revered home of the US presidency while Trump is embroiled in war with Iran and polls show Americans deeply discontented over the economy.

In March, Rogan said he was excited for the event, but that it was “weird to have a fight at the White House” given the security tensions in wartime.

This week, he softened his earlier comments, saying, “It’s so funny watching people lose their mind over it.”

“I mean, there’s no more American thing than having a UFC fight on the White House lawn. It’s so American. It’s so Trump. It’s so crazy. You know what I mean? A UFC fight on the White House lawn is bananas,” he added, excitedly.

Outspoken fighter banned? 

But current UFC middleweight champ Sean Strickland has claimed he was barred from the event for criticizing Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the war they launched together against Iran, which he says “no Americans agree with.”

“UFC’s higher ups called me — you know big names — and they said, ‘Sean, I gotta apologise, but you’re not Israeli enough to go to UFC 250 Israel Edition. The White House didn’t clear you,’” Strickland said in an Instagram video post on Wednesday.

Strickland, who has faced strong criticism over repeated racist remarks in the past, supported Trump’s reelection bid in 2024, but has since distanced himself.

UFC and parent company TKO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

‘Room for corruption’ 

Another UFC fighter, Bryce Mitchell, backed Strickland this week, saying the government was “desecrating its role in society” by staging the fight at the White House.

“The government should never be hosting sporting events, because there’s more room for corruption, and we already have a corrupted government,” he added.

Like Strickland, Mitchell supported Trump’s 2024 bid, but in an April Instagram post he said Trump was “an antichrist,” and said Trump “destroys our nation and conducts a war that wasn’t voted for.”

He also called the White House event “an egregious misuse of political favour to basically make people worship Donald Trump.”

Mitchell has previously faced strong criticism for homophobic and antisemitic comments, including Holocaust denial.

Twelve fighters are on the card for the event, including American athlete Justin Gaethje who described participating in the event as an “unbelievable honour” in an Oval Office appearance with Trump on May 6. — AFP