From Cage Matches to the World Cup: How Kleptocracy Corrupts Sports
The latest kleptocratic actions by the Trump administration from the week of June 15, 2026
Such a volcano of corruption, if allowed to go forward, will mark an inflection point in American history.
- Plaintiffs Susan Douglas and Paul Romano from the Public Integrity Project, quoted in an MSNow article (June 11, 2026)
This summer, the news is filled with sports events that represent more than just individual “volcanoes of corruption.” To extend the metaphor, the prize fight on the White House lawn and 2026 World Cup tournament are part of a tectonic shift in destroying norms, a new geologic age of corruption that is transforming not only our national monuments and pastimes, but also our government and society.
Why the UFC Event was a Gift to Trump and His Family
A last-minute federal lawsuit failed to block the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) “Freedom 250” event from taking place on the White House lawn on June 14, which was also Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. The mixed martial arts prizefight sets a dangerous precedent: using one of the nation’s most iconic public spaces for a lucrative private sports spectacle that largely benefits the president and his inner circle.
The lawsuit was filed by the non-profit Public Integrity Project. In a statement accompanying the filing, Brendan Ballou, the group’s founder, said “This is a profoundly corrupt scheme to enrich the President and his friends,” and that “If this fight is allowed to proceed, it will be only the beginning, and our national monuments will become little more than branding opportunities for the rich and well-connected.”
In an obvious conflict of interest, Trump is reported to have invested up to $50,000 in UFC’s parent-company stock as he aggressively promoted the event at the White House. Additionally, the lawsuit highlighted the lack of proper permitting by the National Park Services and the absence of required environmental reviews, including for a 600-ton steel arch erected in front of the White House. In preparation for the event, the Associated Press reported that seven federal agencies expended tens of thousands of hours of staff time for the event.
According to Wired, Trump’s aides expected “a parade of donors to attend.” Political consulting firms in DC also advised clients to buy the sponsor packages offered by UFC for upwards of $1 million.
Never ones to miss a merch and monetization opportunity, CNN reported that the Trump family also hawked gold commemorative coins featuring the president for between $250 and $12,000. The coins are a joint venture between UFC and the Trump Organization, which is run by national klepto-babies Don Jr. and Eric Trump.
And in a final insult to the all-too-real injuries experienced by the fighters who participated in the event: last Friday, The Guardian reported that some fighters will receive bonuses from the UFC in the form of stablecoins. The currency? The USD1 coin owned by World Liberty Financial, which is at the heart of the Trump family’s meme scheme.
Connecting the Dots between Trump and the UFC
The profiteering extends beyond the Trump family, thanks to the ties between Trump and the head of the UFC. For years, UFC Chief Dana White has been one of Trump’s most loyal celebrity backers, speaking at his conventions and serving as a kind of in‑house hype man. Now, the parent company, TKO, is cashing in on that alliance. While UFC has said they expect to lose $30 million on the event, it’s clear that this is a loss leader expected to pay dividends in the long-term. According to the TKO President, “We see this once-in-a-lifetime stage as a strategic investment to drive subscriber acquisition at Paramount+, massive audience sampling for the UFC overall and Super Bowl-like earned media across the globe.”
Of course, Paramount+ is owned by Larry Ellison, whom we have profiled as one of the klepto-insiders centralizing our national media into a pro-Trump oligopoly.
And there’s more. Last Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memorandum of understanding with the UFC to create a public-private partnership. Rubio called the UFC “the United Nations of fighting” and, in a comment that perfectly captured the Cabinet’s sycophantic tone, compared the event to our national effort to land an astronaut on the moon. Rubio said, “We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do, and no one else aspired to do...And at some level, that’s what this whole company, what UFC has been.”
Rubio’s right about one thing: no president has ever dared to run a fight on the White House lawn to fill his own pockets and those of his friends.
Selling Out the Beautiful Game
The White House isn’t the only venue for klepto-sports this summer. The World Cup currently being played in Canada, Mexico, and the United States has featured extensive teamwork between Trump and Gianni Infantino, the head of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) that organizes the tournament every four years.
FIFA has long been embroiled in corruption scandals. Infantino rose to the top job after a corruption meltdown at the organization, in which hundreds of millions of dollars went missing and senior officials were indicted around the world. He himself is the subject of a criminal complaint alleging abuse of office and false accusations that tied to that leadership transition.
Since Trump took office last year, Infantino has courted him relentlessly to ensure the games go smoothly this summer. He attended Trump’s inauguration. He’s visited Mar-a-Lago and Trump golf clubs and attended the premiere of Melania. Infantino even invented and then presented Trump with the so-called FIFA Peace Prize. And for the past year, FIFA has leased an office in New York’s Trump Tower that has largely sat empty but pays rent directly to Trump’s family business.
Infantino has also lobbied to ensure that players and fans would be able to obtain visas to attend the games despite the aggressive anti-immigration efforts taking place over the last year in the United States. This gambit in Infantino’s charm offensive has not worked out so well. In the opening days of the tournament last week, we already witnessed stunning displays of discriminatory gatekeeping:
Africa’s top referee, a Somali named Omar Artan, was banned from entry to Miami International Airport.
Iraqi player Aymen Hussein was detained for questioning for seven hours at O’Hare airport in Chicago.
The Iranian team is not being allowed to spend the night in the United States after their matches.
147 of the 150 visa applications from Ghanaian fans were rejected.
And all this is on top of the fact that FIFA will make billions from the event, while the cities hosting the games to make the tournament possible will earn nothing from game-day revenue.
This summer, Trump and Infantino will make out like bandits while the fans and players pay the price.
Why Kleptocracy Focuses on Sports
Kleptocrats align their pilfering with their efforts to centralize power. No stone is left unturned to turn a profit and, importantly, deliver the message that all authority and favors come through and only through those in charge.
The good news? A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 16 percent of Americans thought it appropriate for Trump to hold cage matches at the White House to celebrate “US history” and his 80th birthday. As the tide of public opinion turns, so too does our ability to push back against this shameless abuse of private office for public gain.
Weekly Wins
Courts Check the Trump Administration's Abuse of Power
Over the last week, federal judges have upheld the rule of law across a range of issues.
Indefinitely blocking Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion “Anti‑Weaponization Fund,” a taxpayer-financed scheme that critics warned would function as a slush fund for January 6 defendants and other Trump allies while letting Trump walk away from multi‑billion‑dollar claims against the government. Judge Leonie Brinkema said she did not trust vague assurances that the fund was “dead,” ordered DOJ to submit a sworn statement if it truly plans to abandon the plan, and kept an injunction in place to stop any money from flowing in the meantime.
Acquitting New York City Comptroller Brad Lander of misdemeanor obstruction charges stemming from last September’s protest at New York’s immigration court in 26 Federal Plaza. The judge found that prosecutors failed to prove he intentionally blocked elevator access. The case forced ICE operations into the spotlight under oath, and Lander’s decision to fight the charges through trial rather than quietly settle means the government’s attempt to criminalize oversight-by-protest backfired just days before his primary against Rep. Dan Goldman. When asked if the legal proceedings have been a distraction from his campaign, he said some of the most “meaningful work of the last year” has been “being part of a movement of Americans who are fighting back against the fascist White House and rogue ICE agents.”
Issuing a nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s order to strip references to slavery, civil rights, climate change and other “divisive” topics from national park exhibits, calling the policy “a dangerous form of censorship and historical sanitization.” The ruling requires the Department of the Interior to restore removed signs, films, and interpretive materials within 21 days—just in time for July 4—reaffirming that public lands must tell the full story of American history, not just the version preferred by those in power.
Ordering the Trump administration to restart asylum and immigration processing after it left some migrants living in the US in legal limbo. The judge criticized the Trump administration for dragging its feet on a prior injunction protecting asylum seekers, ruling that officials have “no excuse” for failing to restart immigration processing as ordered and warning that further noncompliance could trigger contempt sanctions.
More Links, More Kleptocracy
Build a Protection Racket
Cronyism and favoritism
Trump administration looking to transfer billions in Iranian assets to Kushner clients - Popular Information (Substack)
They went to Jared - Mother Jones
Sending a signal from the top
Decentralized violence and surveillance
US citizen says ICE detained him for 2 hours without explanation - NBC
ICE detention camp endangered migrants and wasted millions, watchdog finds - WaPo
Get Rid of Independent Checks on Power
Executive power grabs
Centralizing executive authority
Trump and allies are working on plan to ‘expunge’ impeachments - WSJ
‘It’s massive destruction.” Waivers allow border security construction in Big Bend National Park - Public Domain
The DOJ prosecutors who think they’re Trump’s personal lawyers - New Republic
Justice Department Clears Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Deal - WSJ
Merger Cleared, David Ellison to Join Trump at U.F.C. Bout - NYT
Just 3% of ICE detainees had a violent prior conviction, government data shows - ABC News
Targeting civil society and subnational government
DOE head says agency didn’t punish blue states. His lawyers admit it did. - WaPo
Could Trump ‘take back’ Washington, DC, if he doesn’t like new mayor? - USA Today
Republicans’ ActBlue probe could derail campaign finance reform - NOTUS
Manhattan Institute killed DEI. Now it’s coming for protests - Wired
Governor’s visit to ICE detention center is strictly limited, she says - NYT
Scientific integrity and academic freedom
The White House blocked a study on alcohol consumption. This is what it said - The Hill
Legal and Lobbying Costs Surge as Universities Face Trump Pressure - NYT
Drive Division
Driving social division
US Accepts Only White Refugees for Sixth Consecutive Month - Mother Jones
Bovino was the star at a European remigration conference - Wired
Trump brings his habit of calling black people low IQ to the NBA finals - Rolling Stone
Control the Media and Suppress Free Speech
Censorship and retaliatory litigation
Data production, stewardship, and privacy
ICE denies having a protester database but a letter to Congress sheds more light - NPR
A Trump push to cut ‘statistical noise’ could mean less data from the Census Bureau - NPR
Manipulate Elections
FBI searches offices of Ohio voter registration group, seizing computers - WaPo
Postal Service Seeks to Block Mail Ballots in States Resisting Trump Demands - NYT
Justice Dept. Pushes Limits of Its Power Over State Elections - NYT
Trump Attorney Begs for Evidence of Election Fraud in California - New Republic
Trump Previews Fall Strategy With Baseless Claims of California Vote Fraud - NYT
Here’s why Trump posted about Iran ‘stealing’ the 2020 election hours after the US attacked - Wired