Melania Trump will join President Trump at the UFC fight on the White House South Lawn on Sunday night, adding the first lady to a guest list that is already turning the event into one of the most elaborate public stages the Trump White House has attempted. The card lands on Trump’s 80th birthday and is expected to draw 5,000 people to the South Lawn, with another 85,000 gathering on the National Mall’s Ellipse.
Several of the president’s adult children are also expected to attend, along with press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is returning to the White House with her husband, Nicholas Riccio, after the birth of her second child. Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump will make their first official appearance as a married couple at the event, while Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are set to be ringside, as are Eric Trump and Lara Trump. In April, when Trump went to a UFC fight in Miami, Ivanka was at his side.
The scale of the setup goes far beyond the fight itself. Rows of bleachers are being built around the octagon for special guests and members of the military, the North Lawn is being used as the staging area for fighters, and the UFC is working across the White House campus, including several rooms in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the Indian Treaty Room. Weigh-ins will be held in public at the Lincoln Memorial, while a fresh coat of white paint is going on the North entrance and new plants are being installed on the lawn.
Melania Trump’s planned appearance is notable because she has attended fights before but usually skips them, even as the event becomes a family showcase as much as a sporting one. The main bout on the seven-fight card is a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, and the final guest list is still taking shape, leaving open who else from the Trump circle will be added before Sunday night. By then, the White House will have been turned into a full UFC venue, with the South Lawn ring, the Ellipse crowd and the president’s birthday all arriving at once.
