Donald Trump's top super PAC is hosting a seven-figure fundraiser Saturday at a Trump golf club in Northern Virginia, one day before the president brings Ultimate Fighting Championship matches to the White House grounds. The event will channel money into MAGA Inc., which has already raised $342 million this election cycle and is positioned to be a major player in midterm congressional races.
Four people familiar with the plans confirmed the fundraiser details. While organizers insist the two events are independent, Trump allies acknowledge the proximity is hardly accidental. One person with access to both events noted, "I certainly do not think the timing is coincidence," suggesting that some of Trump's wealthiest supporters may attend both.
The UFC event falls on Trump's 80th birthday and features a specially constructed 92-foot-tall, 600-ton fighting ring on the White House South Lawn. Saturday evening includes a ceremonial weigh-in on the Ellipse followed by a performance by the Zac Brown Band. The fights begin Sunday at 8 p.m. ET and run past midnight.
Unlike the fundraiser's seven-figure entry price, UFC tickets are free to the public. However, the UFC has been selling sponsorship packages with premium cageside seating for $1 million or more. A person close to the company said this sponsorship revenue will help offset production costs and insists none goes to Trump or his political or business interests.
Trump has cultivated a close relationship with UFC President Dana White, who has been a consistent political supporter and has appeared at Republican conventions on Trump's behalf. The president has attended five UFC events since the start of his second term and his previous campaign, and he has repeatedly publicized the upcoming White House event.
The spectacle has drawn legal fire. The Public Integrity Project filed a lawsuit Saturday arguing the event improperly uses White House grounds for a for-profit venture that will enrich the UFC. "This plan is deeply corrupt," the lawsuit claims, noting that Dana White's close ties to the president create a conflict of interest. "The event will likely be profitable for the UFC and its partners."
The White House dismissed the challenge as "obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory." Meanwhile, UFC's parent company, TKO Holdings, has stated it expects to lose as much as $30 million on the Washington matches and related festivities.
The MAGA Inc. fundraiser marks at least the sixth $1 million-per-person event held by Trump-aligned groups for midterm races. Republicans have built a commanding financial edge over Democrats in many contests, though the race in Texas could reshape that advantage. After Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Republican Senator John Cornyn in the primary last month, Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico with fewer of Cornyn's own fundraising resources. MAGA Inc. is expected to fill that gap significantly.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The timing of a million-dollar fundraiser next to a birthday UFC extravaganza at the White House is a remarkable flex, lawsuit or not."
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