Do not mistake the massive mixed martial arts arena rising out of the White House lawn for a political statement, insists Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White. It is, he told CNN, simply part of the celebration for America’s 250th birthday.
That distinction matters to White, who has repeatedly declared himself finished with politics despite spending years as one of President Donald Trump’s most visible allies — speaking at the last three Republican National Conventions and helping the GOP make inroads with the young male voters key to Trump’s return to the White House.
Many of those same voters appear just as eager as White to leave politics behind.
As final preparations are made for a slate of UFC fights on the White House South Lawn on June 14 – Flag Day and Trump’s 80th birthday – polls show Trump’s support is collapsing among the Americans most likely to watch the event: young men. About one-in-four men under the age of 29 approve of Trump’s job performance, well below the national average of all adults, according to the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School’s most recent survey of young adults, and just 15% of them think the country is headed in the right direction.
