Editorial: A failing president's tawdriest distraction

South Florida Sun Sentinel, South Florida Sun Sentinel on Jun 18, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Up to now, images of government-sponsored cruelty involving men in cages were the stuff of “Alligator Alcatraz,” Florida’s billion-dollar boondoggle of an immigrant detention center.

The new venue is the White House lawn.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship “America 250” on Sunday showcased men beating each other bloody for the president’s pleasure. By day’s end, Trump had despoiled the White House more than the British did when they torched it in 1814.

It is not a criticism of mixed martial arts, or its fans, to say that this match should have been held almost anywhere else.

Purely for Trump’s ego

The military was enlisted for flyovers to lend credence to the idea that patriotism, not Trump’s endlessly fragile ego, was front and center. An eagle flew overhead. Lasers blinded pilots. Big ads for Polymarket, Bud Light and others supported a “Claw” cage that dwarfed the White House.

The scenes reflected more than Trump’s unseemly craving for self-centered spectacle. It’s his vision for America; a country remade in his image complete with bloodletting as entertainment, front row seats for the rich and a spot for those with telegenic waistlines.

New York Knicks owner James Dolan was there — after clumsily doing his best to prevent Knicks fans from NBA watch parties after they dared to boo Trump. So was Paramount CEO David Ellison, who’s currently overseeing the dismantling of “60 Minutes” and promising to do the same to CNN.

The military were treated to free tickets if they were younger, met a waist-to-height ratio of 0.55 and paid their own travel.

Criticism was off limits. When The Weather Channel warned on social media of a 60% chance of thunderstorms, the White House shot back that the forecaster was a“friendless loser,” as though acknowledging rain was an act of political sabotage.

“Having this spectacle take place at the people’s house on Flag Day during our nations’ semi-quincentennial anniversary is a fitting tribute,” wrote White House spokesperson Allison Schuster.

An insult to Flag Day, too

The self-absorbed Trump’s 80th birthday tribute to himself fell on Flag Day, a tribute to patriotism, unity and the celebration of enduring American values.

None of that was on display. Instead, Trump’s event defaced and defiled heroic ground. Fighter Josh Hokit drooled at the weigh-in in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Two fighters made their entrance from the Oval Office. Others strolled barefoot through the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, named after a courageous man who fought for freedom, not for presidents.

Beyond its sheer tackiness, the event was saturated in conflicts of interest. Trump’s brokerage account had bought from $15,000 to $50,000 in shares of UFC’s parent company. Trump Organization managers Eric and Donald Trump Jr. hawked gold and silver “Freedom 250” medallions retailing for as much as $12,000.

Distracting people from a ruinous war and domestic unrest with bread and circuses isn’t new. Roman emperors used gladiators to do just that.

And there’s a great deal this deeply unpopular president doesn’t want people paying close attention to.

The day before the cage match, Trump appeared to threaten Iran with annihilation if a newly announced framework for a peace treaty doesn’t work out. The day after the match, the New York Times reported Trump has considered suspending a basic constitutional right in order to jail anyone for virtually anything without having to justify it to a judge.

Gas prices remain a dollar higher than last June. The inflation rate is the highest in three years. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is warning of hard choices ahead for Social Security. Federal food benefits for mothers and infants are on the budget chopping block.

But on the White House lawn, the band played on.

It may be Donald Trump’s Washington. It is certainly Trump’s Congress. However, it is not Trump’s America, and 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. will never be his home. He’s simply the latest in a long line of renters, distinguished from the rest only by the fact that he is trashing our house on his way out the door.

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The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.

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