A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows limited public support for Donald Trump’s plan to bring a UFC event to the White House South Lawn.
The nationwide online survey of 4,531 U.S. adults found that only 16% said it was appropriate for Trump to hold mixed martial arts cage matches at the White House on Sunday to celebrate U.S. history, on the date scheduled for his 80th birthday. By contrast, 46% said the event was inappropriate.
Even among Republicans, backing for the plan was muted. Just 31% of Republicans considered the planned UFC event appropriate, despite eight in 10 Republicans approving of Trump’s overall performance in the White House.
Trump’s administration on Tuesday asked a judge to reject an effort to halt the UFC event, after local residents argued that sporting events are barred on the White House’s South Lawn and that the arena being constructed lacks required approval.
The poll, conducted with a margin of error of 2 percentage points, comes as Trump’s broader plans for public celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence have already stirred controversy. Trump’s ties with the UFC date back to the early 2000s, when he agreed to host events at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and UFC Chief Executive Dana White is described as a close ally of Trump.
