Trump reportedly bought UFC stock ahead of White House event and people aren’t even surprised anymore

The controversy surrounding the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to make way for US president Donald Trump’s beloved ballroom was bad enough, but now plans to have a UFC fight take place at the presidential residence next month – to mark both the US’s 250th birthday – are causing another headache for the Trump administration.

Alongside critics such as former secretary of state Hillary Clinton attacking the visuals of all the construction work under way at the White House currently, Trump is facing criticism for allegedly buying stock in UFC’s parent company prior to the MMA event.

The news was reported by HuffPost on Friday, based on its review of the president’s financial disclosure filing on 12 May.

According to the outlet, Trump purchased between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings on 25 March.

And the timings have left social media users outraged, but unsurprised:

“Not to say ‘we called it,’ but…,” tweeted the Majority Democrats account, linking to a tweet earlier this week in which they asked “who wants to bet on how much money Trump invested in UFC’s parent company … before scheduling this match at the White House”:

Jo Carducci, known online as JoJoFromJerz, tweeted: “Because of f***ing course he did”:

And Democratic representative Seth Magaziner, of Rhode Island, said: “This is getting to be ridiculous”:

indy100 has approached the White House for comment.

Why not read…?

• Plans for Trump's face on $250 bill spark anger: 'We're such a joke'
• Pete Hegseth's ‘cringefest’ Navy soldier speech and workout mocked

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.