'UFC You Later,' Newark Protesters Tell Trump After White House Cage Matches

NEWARK, NJ — President Donald Trump celebrated his 80^th birthday at a massive Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House South Lawn last weekend, a “patriotic spectacle” that Trump said was “beyond anything that anybody's ever seen in sports.” But in New Jersey’s largest city, the June 14 birthday bash – which reportedly cost $60 million and was paid for by the UFC – was also a reason to protest.

Last Sunday, a group of demonstrators rallied outside the Rodino Federal Building in Newark, using the highly hyped cage-fighting event at the White House as a metaphor to demand change.

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“President Trump’s celebration was an exercise in self-aggrandizement,” said Lawrence Hamm, chair of the People’s Organization For Progress, which sponsored the local protest.

“Its message was that his administration is the best the country has ever had,” Hamm added. “The purpose of our demonstration was to show that in fact it is one of the worst.”

Protestors gathered at the federal building and began with a demonstration on Broad Street while the Solidarity Singers, a folk music group, gave a mini concert on the sidewalk. Demonstrators lined up side by side in the roadway facing the traffic so drivers could see the large six foot black and white banners they were holding with their anti-Trump messages, which included: “End Trump Dictatorship,” “Impeach Trump,” “Trump Must Go,” “Trump Is A Fascist,” and “We Have No Kings.”

Newark police were at the scene but did not interfere with the protest, organizers said.

Speakers included Newark councilwoman Louise Scott-Roundtree, Baba Zayid Muhammad of New Jersey Communities for Accountable Policing, Larry Adams, vice chair of the People’s Organization For Progress (POP), Tova Fry of PAL-Awda NY/NJ, Ryan Novosielski, co-president of HPAE Local 5094, Hanif Denny of the POP, and Diane Beeny of Solidarity Singers. The youngest speaker of the day was 18-year-old Craig Allen Stanley Jr., who was representing his father, former New Jersey Assemblyman Craig Stanley.

The protest was endorsed by the Martin Luther King People’s Convention for Justice and Resistance Planning Committee.

Hamm recapped some of the demands from speakers at the demonstration:

• the impeachment or removal of Trump as president
• restoration of the Voting Rights Act
• passage of the John Lewis voting rights bills by Congress and the New Jersey legislature
• the removal of federal troops from Washington D.C. and other cities
• ending the U.S. war against Iran
• ending the U.S. blockade and sanctions against Cuba
• ending U.S. military aid to Israel
• defunding and abolition of ICE

Speakers also rallied for “justice at Delaney Hall,” Hamm said, referring to the ongoing allegations of mistreatment at the Newark-based federal immigration prison. They also called for federal prosecutors to drop still-pending charges against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) in connection with last year’s clash outside the prison.

Last weekend’s cage-fighting event isn’t the first time that the president has attended a UFC match during his second term.

In 2025, Trump attended a UFC fight at the Prudential Center in Newark – just hours after deploying National Guard troops in Los Angeles, California. The sold-out event included loud chants of “USA… USA,” and cheers for the president.

• Related: Trump Attends UFC Fight In New Jersey As ICE Protests Erupt In California

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