Last night, Donald Trump’s family and friends cashed in on the first for-profit sporting event ever held on White House grounds — following weeks of the President promoting the cash-grabbing spectacle directly from the Oval Office.
It was an evening of self-dealing in plain sight, with Trump family businesses advertising their products inside the octagon, across the Paramount+ broadcast, and on the grounds of the White House itself.
“Donald Trump spent months hyping a cage fight on the White House lawn that he stood to personally profit from, while American families were handed the bill for his Iran war at the gas pump. The average family has already paid $450 more in energy costs since Trump started that conflict, and last night he turned around and used the presidency to sell his family’s coins, crypto, and social media app to a global audience,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “He did not miss a single opportunity to cash in. Families cannot say the same.”
Here is what Trump and his family stood to gain:
Trump Holds Stock in UFC’s Parent Company While Personally Promoting the Event
- Trump’s financial disclosures show he purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings, UFC’s parent company, as recently as March 2026.
- He then spent months promoting UFC from the Oval Office, granted the company exclusive White House access, and stood ringside as its most visible backer.
- A sitting president used the full power of the presidency to boost a company in which he holds a personal financial interest.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Sold $12,000 Commemorative Coins Off the Event
- Days before the fight, a company tied to Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. began selling “Freedom 250” gold and silver medallions priced as high as $12,000.
- The coins use Trump’s likeness through a license agreement with DTTM Operations LLC, the Trump family company that manages the president’s trademarks and image rights, overseen by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. Some profits from coin sales are expected to flow directly to DTTM.
The Trump Family Crypto Firm Got Octagon-Side Advertising at the White House
- World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Donald Trump and his sons, served as the official presenting sponsor of UFC Freedom 250’s Performance of the Night bonuses.
- WLFI put up $250,000 in bonuses paid in its USD1 stablecoin, placing its branding inside the Octagon and across a global broadcast to drive adoption of a token with a current market cap of approximately $4.4 billion.
- WLFI is simultaneously pursuing a U.S. trust bank charter and federal stablecoin oversight, regulatory decisions controlled by the Trump administration.
Trump’s Social Media Company Was Advertised During the Event, and TrumpCoins.com Purchased Broadcast Sponsorship
- During the broadcast, the Octagon announcer declared that one bout was “proudly sponsored by Truth Social, the real voice of President Trump.”
- Trump personally holds at least a $4 billion stake in Trump Media and Technology Group, the publicly traded parent company of Truth Social.
- The broadcast announced that closed captioning was sponsored by TrumpCoins.com, a company operating under a license agreement with DTTM Operations LLC.
Corporate Sponsors Paid Millions for Access That Exists Only Because Trump Gave It to Them
- UFC sold VIP packages priced between $1 million and $1.5 million for an event on White House grounds. Bud Light, Crypto.com, Polymarket, and Ram Trucks paid substantial sums to place their brands at an event no other private company has ever been permitted to hold there.
- Plaintiffs suing to stop the event put it plainly: the administration granted UFC “an extraordinary business opportunity it may not lawfully grant” in exchange for an event paying tribute to Trump on his birthday.
Published: Jun 15, 2026