In January 1934, Franklin D. Roosevelt held a toga-themed birthday party at the White House to mock the accusation that he was an incipient dictator. Donald Trump is doing him one better. The President celebrates his 80th birthday today. As such, his plans for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts today in an octagon on the South Lawn of the White House are reminiscent of the extravaganzas of the Emperor Commodus, whose rule prompted Gibbon to warn:
Of all our passions and appetites, the love of power is of the most imperious and unsociable nature, since the pride of one man requires the submission of the multitude.
For America’s semiquincentennial, Trump gave UFC head Dana White permission to construct an arena on the South Lawn of the White House that is known as ‘The Claw’. The Claw is outfitted with lights, speakers and screens and hovers over the octagon cage itself to ensure that anyone not seated next to it can follow the event. The ringside seats for Trump’s birthday bash are reserved for what Mark Twain liked to refer to as ‘the quality’, – namely, those who are prepared to pony up to $1.5 million (£1.12 million) to the UFC for a VIP package.
Will Trump’s emphasis on virility and manhood be able to disguise his own physical decline?
