President Trump Under Fire For Purchasing Stock Ahead Of White House's UFC Event
Long before he was President of the United, Donald Trump made numerous efforts to run various sports leagues. With UFC having some of his biggest supporters as executives or athletes, it should be a surprise that he wants to own a piece of it.
The problem is that he is currently alleged to have bought stock in the company while simultaneously promoting plans for the UFC Freedom 250 at the White House next month. And that's a pretty big legal no-no.
It was the Huffington Post that reported that a May 12 financial disclosure revealed he purchased somewhere between $15,001 and $50,000 in stock in UFC's parent company, TKO Group Holdings. Per Mediaite, The purchase was reportedly made on March 25, less than three weeks after the event had been finalized and announced publicly.
Trump and UFC
As you might expect, any accusation of wrongdoing by the President has been flatly rejected or disregarded by his supporters and acknowledged as another mark against him by detractors. Users on X who saw the news were far from surprised one way or another.
But President Trump has a singular, unflinching ally in UFC president Dana White. The UFC boss has supported him through thick and thin, and Trump in turn has given him a level of influence that combat sports promoters throughout history never could have dreamed of.
While the UFC Freedom 250 card has been admonished for being thin from a talent standpoint, it will still rank among the few sporting events ever held on the White House lawn.
The main event will see UFC Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria defend his title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. The co-main event will feature Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane in a bout for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Other stars expected on the card include Sean O'Malley, Derrick Lewis and Michael Chandler in non-title bouts.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 2:05 PM.