\u201cThese events are inappropriate and disrespectful to the history and importance of the White House and the National Mall,\u201d said Jonathan Jarvis, who began his career as a park ranger on the Mall in 1976 and was named director of the National Park Service by President Obama in 2009.<\/p>\n
White House officials insist that IndyCar and the UFC are extremely popular with everyday Americans: the race and the fights will be exuberant celebrations of patriotism and pride, they say.<\/p>\n
The UFC event, in particular, \u201cwill be one of the greatest and most historic sports events in history, and President Trump hosting it at the White House is a testament to his vision to celebrate America\u2019s monumental 250th anniversary,\u201d said White House spokesperson Davis Ingle.<\/p>\n
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President Trump is hosting a UFC match on the White House grounds in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.<\/p>\n
(Alex Wong \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
To organize this summer\u2019s events, the Trump administration asked the National Park Foundation \u2014 a congressionally chartered nonprofit that works closely with the park service and collects private donations to help maintain hiking trails and fund programs to get kids outdoors \u2014 to lend a hand.<\/p>\n
Because of the scale of the planned celebrations, the foundation created a limited liability company, \u201cFreedom 250,\u201d to \u201cexecute events, activities, and celebrations in or around national parks,\u201d according to the Freedom 250 website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Freedom 250 has its own employees, but the foundation provides federal funds and the park service approves the events and reviews their budgets, according to the website.<\/p>\n Which is why advocates are appalled. <\/p>\n \u201cEssentially, this is a hijacking of one of America\u2019s oldest and most well-respected conservation organizations,\u201d said Aaron Weiss, director of the Center for Western Priorities, an environmental nonprofit based in Denver. \u201cThere are so many very good people at the foundation, with so many years doing real work on behalf of America\u2019s national parks, it\u2019s heartbreaking to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n When Jarvis was director of the park service \u2014 and therefore an ex-officio board member of the foundation \u2014 the two organizations worked hand in hand to ensure that the foundation\u2019s work complemented that of the park service. They organized the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House South Lawn and lit the Christmas tree on the Ellipse, Jarvis said.<\/p>\n Workers continue to paint the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.<\/p>\n (Alex Wong \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Occasionally, the president made special requests, which were reviewed carefully to ensure they were consistent with park service principles. Michelle Obama\u2019s famous \u201cKitchen Garden\u201d passed the test, Jarvis said with a chuckle, providing fruits and vegetables for family meals \u2014 and the occasional state dinner \u2014 for years.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to imagine any career parks employee, or the foundation board members he served with, coming up with the current agenda, Jarvis said.<\/p>\n In addition to the IndyCar race and cage fights, the National Park Foundation is sponsoring \u201cFreedom Trucks\u201d<\/a> \u2014 six red, white and blue tractor trailers traveling the country as rolling museums \u2014 and Rededicate 250<\/a>, a large Christian revival meeting held on the Mall earlier this month that raised objections about the mixing of church and state.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the foundation is being told what to do,\u201d Jarvis said. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s hard to say no to the White House these days.\u201d<\/p>\n Josh deBerge, a spokesperson for the National Park Foundation, insisted that no money from Freedom 250 is being spent on the IndyCar race or the UFC fights.<\/p>\n But the IndyCar race is listed as a \u201csignature\u201d<\/a> event on the Freedom 250 website, and both IndyCar and the UFC are listed as Freedom 250 sponsors. <\/p>\n Danielle Alvarez, a former Trump campaign senior advisor, is a spokesperson for Freedom 250. She acknowledged that the race and the cage fights are happening on national park land and under the banner of Freedom 250, but said neither is receiving funds or logistical support from her organization.<\/p>\n \u201cMany groups have adopted \u2018Freedom 250\u2019 branding as part of their festivities, even though it does not mean it is backed by Freedom 250 funding,\u201d Alvarez said in a text message. \u201cThe shared terminology is a natural expression of collective pride in 250 years of American independence.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither IndyCar nor the UFC responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n All of this comes as the Trump administration has taken an ax to the National Park Service, cutting its staff by 25% through buyouts and layoffs since 2025, and proposing another 25% staff reduction this year.<\/p>\n A worker applies hot wax during the restoration process of the Gen. Nathanael Greene statue in Stanton Park on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n (Tom Williams \/ CQ-Roll Call \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Trump has also proposed slashing nearly $800 million from the park system\u2019s roughly $3-billion operating budget \u2014 potentially diminishing the ability to keep facilities clean and control crowds. Already this year, Yosemite National Park has ditched a reservation system,<\/a> leading to enormous crowds in the valley and on nearby trails.<\/p>\n Parks advocates fear it\u2019s part of a broader and deliberate strategy to marginalize an agency that has long been a sanctuary for environmentalists and progressives \u2014 most of whom presumably did not vote for Trump.<\/p>\n In addition to the staff and budget cuts, Trump last year instructed the National Park Service to scrub any language<\/a> he would deem negative, unpatriotic or smacking of \u201cimproper partisan ideology\u201d from signs and presentations visitors encounter at parks and historic sites.<\/p>\n Instead, he ordered the agency to ensure that its signs remind Americans of our \u201cextraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity and human flourishing.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Workers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1780188209_52_.jpeg\")
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