US President Donald Trump wants to organize an 80th birthday celebration for himself in the form of a mixed martial arts event at the White House - and most Americans are opposed.
A new poll conducted by the Reuters news agency together with the Ipsos public opinion research institute shows that very few Americans support Trump’s grandiose plan to hold “cage fights" at the White House.
According to the poll, only 16% of Americans support Trump’s plan and said that “it is appropriate for Trump to hold the fighting event at the White House," while 46% opposed it. The remaining respondents did not express an opinion.
Even among Republican Party voters, Trump does not have majority support for his birthday celebration idea. Only 31% of Republican voters backed Trump’s proposal. This is considered an especially low figure given that 80% of Republican voters expressed support for Trump’s policies in a poll conducted in recent days.
Some residents living near the White House have petitioned the court demanding that the event be canceled, arguing that sporting events are prohibited on the White House’s South Lawn and that the large metal arena being built for the fight did not receive the required approval.
In recent weeks, federal authorities and the UFC mixed martial arts organization have spent $60 million to build the arena on the White House lawn, as well as to purchase and supply food and pay 900 workers on site to complete preparations for the fights scheduled to take place on Sunday.
Among those involved in producing the event are the Office of the President of the United States, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Park Police, the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration.