By

Margaret Hartmann,

senior editor for Intelligencer who has worked at New York since 2012

National Guard members stand watch as Octagon construction continues at the White House on May 29, 2026.

Are you a member of the U.S. military hoping to score tickets to the UFC fights being held on the White House lawn to celebrate President Trump’s birthday (or maybe Flag Day)? Well, hopefully you were listening when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned 800 military commanders to Marine Corps Base Quantico last fall to announce his no “fat troops” policy.