President Trump is moving ahead with plans to hold an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House grounds next July 4, the U.F.C.’s chief executive, Dana White, told CBS on Tuesday.
“It is definitely going to happen,” Mr. White said on “CBS Mornings.” A White House official who asked not to be named to discuss plans that were still in their early stages confirmed that the event was expected to happen on July 4.
Mr. White is a longtime supporter of Mr. Trump’s, even introducing him at the Republican National Convention last July, and the president has attended three U.F.C. events since his election in November.
July 4 is the date of a long-planned national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The nonprofit planning the celebration, America250.org, did not respond to questions about what role the fight would play in the festivities. A U.F.C. spokeswoman declined to comment about the details of the event, including how many fights would be on the bill.
Mr. Trump raised the idea of a U.F.C. event at the White House last month, saying at a kickoff event in Iowa for the national celebration that the White House would host a “full fight” as part of the festivities.
In his interview with CBS, Mr. White said that he spoke with Mr. Trump Monday night and that he intended to visit Washington this month to discuss details with the president and his daughter Ivanka.
“He said, ‘I want Ivanka in the middle of this,’” Mr. White said. “So Ivanka reached out to me, and her and I started talking about the possibilities.”
David A. Fahrenthold is a Times investigative reporter writing about nonprofit organizations. He has been a reporter for two decades.
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