Trump turns 80 with cage fight at the White House, Iran deal

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with an extraordinary display of political machismo on June 14, staging a cage fight on the White House lawn hours after announcing a peace deal with Iran.

In unprecedented scenes, he walked out of the Oval Office alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White and headed towards the giant arena dubbed “The Claw”.

On the way, the reality TV star-turned-president mounted the historic Truman balcony and saluted while the national anthem and 12 US military jets staged a noisy flyover of the White House.

Trump then took his place on the South Lawn, beside the mesh-fenced cage called the Octagon where 14 fighters will beat each other bloody in the first professional sporting event ever held at the White House.

He was cage-side as the first fighter, Brazil’s Diego Lopes, won by a knockout.

The icing on the cake for the birthday festivities of the oldest US president ever to take office had come earlier as he said a peace deal with Iran was now “complete”.

But there could still be rain on Trump’s parade, with thunderstorms over Washington causing at least one delay to the US$60 million (S$76.9 million) mixed martial arts tournament.

The UFC Freedom 250 event is linked to festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence, but it also happens to fall on the same day that Trump enters his ninth decade.

Critics have derided the violent extravaganza in America’s most famous backyard, saying it is a tacky debasement of the White House by a president who has repeatedly shattered norms during his time in power.

In a social media post announcing the Iran deal, Trump said: “let the oil flow!”

The billionaire president has faced criticism for staging the event amid a war with Iran that has sent global energy prices soaring and caused a major knock-on effect for US consumers.

But people gathered to watch the violent extravaganza on a giant screen on the Ellipse open grass park outside the White House defended the event.

“I do think maybe it’s like a little bit of selfishness, but he is the leader, so he has a say,” said Nyles Rife, a 35-year-old sports performance coach from the US state of Virginia.

“If I were a president, if I were to have a UFC event on my birthday, and it fell on the 250th anniversary/Flag day, I’d do the same. Why not?”

Mark Toone, a 50-year-old US Marine Corps veteran, said the fight was “emblematic and representative of American culture”.

Trump, who has deep ties with a sport whose young male fans reflect his own political base, has defended the UFC event as a unique spectacle.

“This is going to be an event you’re really gonna like,” he said as he hosted some of the muscle-bound, bare-knuckle fighters in the Oval Office in May.

The White House said the UFC is bearing the entire cost.

But there has also been criticism of the commercialisation of the event in the home of American democracy, with sponsors including Bud Light beer and betting market Polymarket having their logos emblazoned on the Octagon – an eight-sided wire mesh cage, surrounded by seats for more than 4,000 spectators.

The fight is being broadcast exclusively by Paramount, the US broadcaster run by Trump ally David Ellison.

The macho spectacle has distracted from questions about Trump’s health as he ages.

He loves to compare his virility to Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, who also turned 80 in office, but was forced to drop his bid for a second term after a disastrous debate with the Republican.

From bruised hands to a vein condition in his legs and apparent sleepiness in meetings, he has had a number of issues, even though his doctor says he is in excellent health.

Trump admitted that he was “not happy about that birthday that I’m having” in a video posted by one of his officials this week. “It’s not a number I like, but I’m here nevertheless.”

For his last birthday, Trump oversaw an unprecedented military parade in Washington, marking the 250th anniversary of the US army. AFP