US President Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with an extraordinary display of political machismo on Sunday, staging a professional cage fight on the White House lawn just hours after announcing a major peace deal with Iran. In unprecedented scenes, Trump walked out of the Oval Office alongside Ultimate Fighting Championship boss Dana White and headed toward a giant arena dubbed “The Claw.” On the way, the reality TV star-turned-president mounted the historic Truman balcony and saluted while the national anthem played and 12 US military jets staged a noisy flyover of the White House. Trump then took his place on the South Lawn, beside the mesh-fenced cage called the Octagon, where 14 fighters will compete in the first professional sporting event ever held at the executive mansion. He sat cageside as the night’s opening fighter, Brazil’s Diego Lopes, won by a knockout.

The icing on the cake for the birthday festivities of the oldest US president ever to take office had come earlier in the day when Trump announced that a peace deal with Iran was now complete. However, the weather threatened to rain on Trump’s parade, with heavy thunderstorms over Washington causing at least a one-hour delay to the $60 million mixed martial arts tournament. The “UFC Freedom 250” event is officially tied to this year’s ongoing festivities for the 250th anniversary of US independence. By coincidence, the spectacle fell not only on the US public holiday of Flag Day, but on the exact day that Trump entered his ninth decade.

Critics have swiftly derided the cage fight, calling it a tacky debasement of the White House by a president who has repeatedly shattered political norms throughout his time in power. The billionaire president has also faced fierce backlash for staging the event amid a costly conflict with Iran that has sent global energy prices soaring, causing a major knock-on effect for US consumers. Despite the outcry, fans gathered to watch the violent extravaganza on a giant screen set up on the Ellipse outside the White House gates defended the decision. Nyles Rife, a 35-year-old sports performance coach from Virginia, admitted that while it might look like a little bit of selfishness, Trump is the leader and has the final say. Mark Toone, a 50-year-old US Marine Corps veteran, added that the fight felt totally emblematic and representative of American culture, dismissing the political opposition’s criticism as lies and untruths.

The president—who has long cultivated deep ties with a sport whose young male demographic closely mirrors his own political base—has consistently defended the UFC event as a unique spectacle. During an Oval Office meeting with several muscle-bound fighters in May, Trump promised it would be an event the public would really enjoy. To blunt criticisms over ethics, the White House has maintained that the UFC is bearing the entire cost of the $60 million production. Even so, the heavy commercialization of the event inside the home of American democracy has raised eyebrows, with sponsors including Bud Light beer and betting market Polymarket having their corporate logos prominently emblazoned across the Octagon. Furthermore, the fight is being broadcast exclusively by Paramount, the US media giant run by Trump ally David Ellison.

The hyper-macho spectacle has also acted as a convenient distraction from lingering questions about Trump’s health as he continues to age in office. Trump frequently relishes comparing his own virility to his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, who also turned 80 while in the White House but was forced to drop his reelection bid following a disastrous debate performance. Yet, despite his physician’s public assurances that he remains in excellent health, Trump has faced his own visible issues, including bruised hands, a vein condition in his legs, and apparent sleepiness during high-level meetings. Trump himself admitted to his staff this week that he was not particularly happy about turning 80, calling it a number he doesn’t like but noting that he is here nevertheless. For his previous birthday, Trump oversaw an unprecedented military parade in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Army.