Commentary: What a surprise: Trump's UFC Freedom 250 birthday bash was MAGA propaganda (plus fights)

Well, that conscionable happened.

The president held a cage combat connected the White House South Lawn, implicit with flyovers, fireworks, mini-skirted “octagon girls” and the surrealistic show of mixed martial arts fighters striding done historical White House rooms flanked by National Medal of Honor winners.

Despite wide nationalist disapproval for Sunday’s lawsuit and overmuch scathing commentary astir the governmental and intelligence messaging of Donald Trump’s prime of a Vegas-like spectacle to observe his 80th birthday, and the country’s 250th, the entity did not fall, the archetypal Constitution successful the adjacent National Archives did not teardrop successful 2 and nary of the fighters passed retired from the vigor oregon bug bites.

Things didn’t adjacent get bloody until the last lucifer successful the 5th hour, erstwhile Justin Gaethje kicked and punched the crap retired of wide favored Ilia Topuria.

Even so, it was intolerable to look from watching UFC Freedom 250 without feeling punch-drunk.

Not due to the fact that of the fighting; due to the fact that of astir everything that was not the fighting.

Beginning with Paramount+, owned by the Trump-friendly Ellison family’s Paramount Skydance, which precocious received Justice Department clearance for its highly arguable acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The jarring show of past UFC matches being seemingly projected onto the Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol gave mode to a bid of poorly produced “historical” moments successful which UFC fighters were formed arsenic inheriting the aforesaid “fighting spirit” that motivated this nation’s Founding Fathers, past presidents and warfare veterans. Down to the inevitable strains of the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” (the baffling anthem of MAGA), the lawsuit projected a macho-man presumption of patriotism that was conscionable arsenic ghastly arsenic galore feared it would be.

UFC fighters are so dedicated and talented athletes who person flooded each mode of idiosyncratic obstacles. But to comparison them with Thomas Jefferson oregon American soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy is absurd and much than a small insulting.

The tens of thousands of UFC and Trump fans who gathered connected the South Lawn and the Ellipse, however, were intelligibly having a precise bully time. Proceedings were delayed an hr by the menace of storms, but the upwind cooperated successful the end. “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and successful particular, soloist Staff Sgt. Hannah Davis, gave masterful performances throughout. And portion the Claw, the 600-ton alloy operation arching supra the Octagon, surely looked similar the archetypal signifier of an alien onslaught during the day, it enactment connected a beauteous terrific (if much than a small Vegasy) airy amusement astatine night.

For those watching from home, however, these agleam spots were glimpsed and heard infrequently, drowned retired by the endless hyperbolic intonations of commentators (including Joe Rogan, who initially criticized the event), the agelong and invariably self-aggrandizing introductions of the assorted participants and the onslaught of often militaristic commercials, much than a fewer of which, included ads for Ram, featured UFC President and Chief Executive Dana White.

Which isn’t astonishing erstwhile you deliberation astir it. White’s longtime enactment for the president culminated successful his enactment covering the event’s $60 cardinal successful accumulation costs, and from the infinitesimal a smiling White joined Trump arsenic helium made his mode done the White House to the beforehand row, the lawsuit served arsenic an almost-six-hour advertisement for the UFC.

Though I americium not a UFC fan, I recognize that showmanship is cardinal to the sport’s chaotic and progressively wide popularity. Championship matches, which seldom past longer than 30 minutes and sometimes overmuch less, are inevitably preceded by hours of participants making each mode of florid claims and trash-talking their opponents. (Which whitethorn explicate Trump’s fondness for the UFC.)

But erstwhile each of this strutting, preening and wild-eyed absorption revolves astir what was, for amended and worse, a bid of rules-free brawls being force-fed into a communicative astir this country’s enduring strength, what emerges is not truthful overmuch a sporting lawsuit arsenic it is simply a portion of bare and nationalistic propaganda.

Which came to a caput successful the last fight. After the six erstwhile matches concluded alternatively rapidly with bloodless knockouts (a UFC record), the combat betwixt American Gaethje and the German-born, Georgia and Spain-representing Topuria lasted overmuch longer. Gaethje, introduced arsenic “the astir convulsive antheral successful the astir convulsive sport,” near the lightweight champion’s look specified a messiness that adjacent Rogan was shocked.

By each metrics, including Topuria’s refusal to spell down, it was the champion combat of the night. But proceeding the assemblage chant “USA, USA” arsenic the bloody blows fell … well, let’s conscionable accidental it was not everyone’s conception of a statesmanlike day celebration.

Some person suggested that Trump staged the lawsuit successful the anticipation of regaining the enactment of young men who helped him triumph the past election. Even if that was not the case, it was hard to presumption UFC Freedom 250 successful immoderate mode nonpartisan (especially aft British erstwhile heavyweight champion Tyson Fury strode retired of the White House wearing a “Trump for Prime Minister” hat).

Yes, respective of the six non-American participants entered to Spanish oregon Portuguese songs (why truthful overmuch fuss past astir Bad Bunny astatine the Super Bowl?) but immoderate of the winners are longtime MAGA supporters and made that precise wide — Bo Nickal thanked Trump for being the lone 1 “to person the balls” to signifier specified an lawsuit portion Josh Hokit followed up his acknowledgment to “my lord and savior Jesus Christ” with “Michelle Obama is simply a man. Am I right, America?”

Because it was Trump’s day aft all.