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Botany

(77,951 posts) Sat May 30, 2026, 09:41 AM 3 hrs ago

Attn: Military Personnel going to Donny's "greatest and most historic events in history? PAY UP!

They will be expected to pay for a ticket, hotel rooms, food, transportation, and parking. The event
is expected to cost $60 million.

The Defense Department is currently seeking junior enlisted personnel and junior officers, the lowest-paid members on the military’s totem poll, according to internal memos reviewed by The Washington Post Friday. Yet they’ll also be required to pay their own way, should they be admitted—neither the Pentagon nor UFC reportedly intends to pay for the soldiers’ arrangements or accommodations.

Personnel will also be required to meet height and weight requirements before they’re allowed to fill the stands, and will be required to attend in their short-sleeve dress uniforms.

One memo that made its way through the Air Force stipulated that personnel “MUST MEET CURRENT WAIST-HEIGHT RATIO and current physical fitness standard” in order to make the cut for Trump’s audience.

https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/donald-trump-tennis-pic-goes-viral-36186928.html

White House spokesman Davis Ingle did not deny that a search is underway in America’s military branches to find seat fillers for Trump’s UFC tournament.

“This will 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’s monumental 250th anniversary,” Ingle told the Post in a statement.

Snip. (And Trump is already grifting off it.)

The main card will pit Justin Gaethje against Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title, and Alex Pereira against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. UFC’s parent company, TKO Holdings, has promised that the entire event—which is expected to cost around $60 million—will be funded entirely by the sports organization and come at no cost to taxpayers.

But Trump has already made a buck off the match. The president reportedly invested up to $50,000 in TKO Group Holdings on March 25, according to his May 12 financial disclosure filing, two weeks after the tournament was formally announced.

https://newrepublic.com/post/211140/donald-trump-paying-troops-audience-birthday-ufc

8 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Attn: Military Personnel going to Donny's "greatest and most historic events in history? PAY UP! (Original Post) Botany 3 hrs ago OP

The stench... GiqueCee 3 hrs ago #1

I don't get it. The orange traitor used to pay people to go to his niyad 2 hrs ago #2

More likely he said he would pay them, NameAlreadyTaken 2 hrs ago #6

Yes, of course. niyad 11 min ago #7

So more disrespectful treatment of OUR odins folly 2 hrs ago #3

Just when you think he is as low as he can ever be he goes lower. Botany 2 hrs ago #5

The alternative is that the military - that's the government, which is us taxpayers, pay their way, Ocelot II 2 hrs ago #4

There are a number of military bases around Washington DC LogDog75 7 min ago #8

GiqueCee

(4,847 posts)

1. The stench...

Reply to Botany (Original post)

Sat May 30, 2026, 09:49 AM

3 hrs ago

... of Trump's corruption has carried for more than 500 miles. At first, I thought the litter box needed cleaning, but >GAG!< that wasn't the source.

niyad

(134,234 posts)

2. I don't get it. The orange traitor used to pay people to go to his

Reply to Botany (Original post)

Sat May 30, 2026, 10:01 AM

2 hrs ago

bund rallies.

NameAlreadyTaken

(2,334 posts)

6. More likely he said he would pay them,

Reply to niyad (Reply #2)

Sat May 30, 2026, 10:25 AM

2 hrs ago

but the check never showed up.

niyad

(134,234 posts)

7. Yes, of course.

Reply to NameAlreadyTaken (Reply #6)

Sat May 30, 2026, 12:41 PM

11 min ago

odins folly

(653 posts)

3. So more disrespectful treatment of OUR

Reply to Botany (Original post)

Sat May 30, 2026, 10:05 AM

2 hrs ago

Military. Basically saying uncle don wants you to be a prop for photos of his vulgar, crass birthday party spectacle.
Making the military saunter down Pennsylvania avenue last year wasn’t enough.

Oh, and buy your own ticket……

Fuck these people!

Botany

(77,951 posts)

5. Just when you think he is as low as he can ever be he goes lower.

Reply to odins folly (Reply #3)

Sat May 30, 2026, 10:14 AM

2 hrs ago

I think inviting the military personnel to be there lets him charge for a ticket because if they were
ordered to do so then their costs would be covered by the D. o. D..

Show up in uniform and look sharp for the “Great Leader” and pay him to do so.

I have loved and played sports all my life but MMA is just a blood sport that has no redeeming values.

Ocelot II

(131,420 posts)

4. The alternative is that the military - that's the government, which is us taxpayers, pay their way,

Reply to Botany (Original post)

Sat May 30, 2026, 10:09 AM

2 hrs ago

and I'm not down with that either. What's wrong is that military personnel are being recruited to supply the optics for this spectacle because they don't want UFC's usual audience of dumpy white trash MAGA guys wearing greasy t-shirts and pants with their butt cracks showing. They want an audience of fit, handsome male soldiers in their dress uniforms because it will look good for the cameras. Which makes me wonder, if a soldier wanted to go to some other UFC event on his own time, would he wear his dress uniform? I think not. And isn't there a specific rule about military personnel being prohibited from wearing their uniforms "during or in connection with the furtherance of political activities, private employment or commercial interests, when an inference of official sponsorship for the activity or interest could be drawn"? 32 CFR 53.2

LogDog75

(1,395 posts)

8. There are a number of military bases around Washington DC

Reply to Botany (Original post)

Sat May 30, 2026, 12:45 PM

7 min ago

So travel would be minimal and they probably wouldn't have to get a hotel room. I wouldn't be surprised if the military transported them to the White House on their buses.

If military personnel want to attend the Shitfest then I have no problem as long as they're not ordered to attend and that the military is not paying for the tickets. I used to be the approving/billing authority for the government credit care program for our medical group and I would say without a doubt purchasing a ticket with government funds to Shitfest would violate military procurement and financial regulations.

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