It’s a big deal for mixed martial arts fans, and an event Dana White hopes rivals the Super Bowl. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested a very unlikely billion views globally. Yet despite being the talk of the sporting world this week, the UFC Freedom 250 card on the White House south lawn does not have strong support among the general public, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The White House card has just 16% support among Americans surveyed as whole, with that percentage believing it is “appropriate” for U.S. President Donald Trump to host the event on the White House grounds.
46% stated they were not in favor, while the remainder did not offer an opinion either way.
Split down political lines, just 31% of Republicans felt that a UFC event held on the White House grounds was appropriate. Only 5% of Democrats felt the same, with 75% saying the event was not appropriate.
Claims of sportswashing have dogged UFC Freedom 250 since it was announced. Originally intended to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and rumored to take place on the Fourth of July weekend, it is instead being held in conjunction with Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
Earlier this week, a last minute lawsuit was filed in an attempt to stop the event from moving forward. The lawsuit cited existing regulations covering the White House grounds and a lack of congressional approval.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll took place across six days and was conducted online and nationwide, with 4,531 U.S. adults taking part. It has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Trump has been a longtime supporter of the UFC dating back to the early 2000s, when the promotion held events at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. As President, Trump has attended UFC events in both his first and second terms, while UFC CEO and President Dana White has introduced Trump at the Republican National Convention.
