By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-12 21:14:25 | Updated at 2026-06-13 16:25:05
19 hours ago
The women of The View tore into Donald Trump this week for his decision to stage a UFC event on the South Lawn of the White House.
Panelist Ana Navarro accused the President of 'attempting to monetize and make money off the American people' with the Sunday event.
'There's just no end to the grift of the Trump family,' she said on Friday's broadcast.
Cohost Sunny Hostin pointed out how the bouts were being held 'for-profit.'
Republican Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back, recounting other sporting events held outside the White House, like children's T-ball games and multiple tennis exhibitions.
'Teddy Roosevelt takes the cake,' she said. She noted how the two-term President 'actually held a boxing match' at the address and physically 'participated.'
'So I'm for it, but Donald Trump has to get in the ring,' she joked, prompting moderator Whoopi Goldberg to clap.
Hostin, an ardent progressive, argued that boxing 'has long been a gentleman's sport' because athletes 'use [only] their fists,' unlike mixed martial arts (MMA).
The View's Friday panel tore into Donald Trump for his planned UFC event outside the White House on Sunday. Whoopi Goldberg, Ana Navarro and Sunny Hostin all had harsh takes
A full-on UFC Octagon has been set up in front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the event
'But I don't know how MMA - or cage-fighting - is emblematic of our country,' she continued, adding she struggles to see the link between the sport and 'American culture.'
Hostin maintained that MMA was not at all 'celebratory.' The fights are being held in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, otherwise known as the United States Semiquincentennial.
Hostin said the other 'deeply troubling' part of the fight-card concept was 'that it's deeply corrupt.' She also took issue with the bouts being held 'on government grounds' and Trump's status as a UFC shareholder.
'Are the taxpayers getting some money? Are we gonna get some checks for this? No, but the Trump family is,' she asked.
Goldberg cut in: 'This doesn't feel like a sport. This feels like you're trying to show us how we're supposed to be.'
Navarro called Goldberg's claim one of 'many different beats,' before motioning to Hostin.
'It's the sport itself,' she said while doing so. '[And] it’s the desecration, the continued desecration, of the White House.'
'It’s the grift,' she continued. 'It’s also this kind of, like, weird need and narcissistic dysfunction by Donald Trump of celebrating himself.
Trump is hosting Sunday's event with longtime friend and UFC CEO Dana White. White said on Monday: 'We're expecting Super Bowl-type numbers for this fight'
Navarro said the concept was a 'grift' and an insult to the 'significance' of the White House, which she said 'belongs to all of us'
Hostin complained that taxpayers are not set to benefit and maintained that mixed martial arts doesn’t 'reflect American culture'
'It’s like, did nobody celebrate you as a child?' she asked.
Hostin asserted: 'I don’t think they did.'
Navarro ultimately maintained that the White House 'belongs to all of us and has great historical significance.'
As they spoke, the screen behind them displayed a carousel of photos of the event setup on the South Lawn.
Griffin noted that the images of the UFC Octagon with the historic structure in the background almost seemed like 'AI.'
UFC Freedom 250 is being billed by the President as 'the greatest show on Earth'. His 80th birthday coincidentally falls on the same day.
'We're expecting Super Bowl-type numbers for this fight,' said UFC CEO Dana White on Monday.
The Daily Mail has approached ABC News for comment.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said: 'The co-hosts of The View are extremely unlikeable, talentless hacks with a poorly rated TV show who clearly suffer from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome.
'I lose brain cells every time I have the displeasure of hearing them speak.'
