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Politico
a day ago
- Politics
- Politico
Donald Trump's wide world of sports
WHAT'S IN A NAME — Donald Trump's weekend fusillade of social media posts may have fallen short in its aim of diverting attention from the firestorm surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein files. But it succeeded in advancing what's increasingly looking like the central project of his second term: planting himself at the center of American public life. With his call for the Cleveland Guardians to change back to the team's longtime name, the Cleveland Indians, and his threat to withhold a D.C. stadium deal until the Washington Commanders reverts back to its original Washington Redskins name, Trump signaled that dominion over Washington isn't enough. Every other institution — Wall Street, Fortune 500 companies, Big Law, higher ed, the media — must also bend the knee. That list includes professional sports. As a master of the attention economy and a product of popular culture, Trump knows the traditional understanding of the modern bully pulpit is outmoded. To truly command attention — and to speak to those who aren't engaged in the political process — a president must be everything, everywhere, all at once. To Trump, that means railing about quotidian details of life — the kind of sugar used by Coca Cola; the water pressure in toilets and showerheads; T-Mobile's service — but also establishing himself as a constant presence in the sports world. As president-elect, he made much-publicized trips to an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight at Madison Square Garden and the Army-Navy football game. Since returning to the White House, Trump has attended another UFC fight in Las Vegas, the Super Bowl in New Orleans (where he was the first sitting president to attend), the Daytona 500 in Florida and the NCAA college wrestling championship (marking his second appearance there in three years). A week ago, Trump unexpectedly showed up on stage to present the trophy at the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he stood center stage amid confused foreign players for English soccer giant Chelsea. While sports has always been politicized by the left and right — and a White House visit has long been a reward for championship teams in all sports — Trump has taken it to another level, He has functioned as a sports fan — recently joining the fray with his thoughts on Shadeur Sanders, among other topics — but also as a would-be commissioner eager to wield the power and prestige of the Oval Office in the realm of pro sports. After Trump said in February he'd pardon disgraced baseball great Pete Rose and criticized Major League Baseball, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred traveled to the White House two months later. Not long after, he reinstated Rose from baseball's ineligible list, making him eligible for the Hall of Fame. Manfred later acknowledged Trump played a role in his decision. Trump has even brought the mighty NFL — one of the world's most lucrative sports leagues and owner of 93 of America's top 100 most watched programs in 2023 — to heel. In May, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at his side in the Oval Office, the president announced that the 2027 NFL draft would be held in Washington, D.C. on the National Mall. It's a redefinition of the presidency for the modern age, one that reflects Trump's populist bent. And it's a stark contrast with Joe Biden, who twice declined the traditional pre-Super Bowl televised interview, giving up the chance to speak to the nation's largest assembled live audience. He was absent from pop culture, except as the butt of jokes, and he paid for it. Carving out a beachhead in pro sports enables Trump to asymmetrically engage in the culture wars — weighing in on the policing of team names, for example — but without the partisan sheen. He understands instinctually that to project leadership across a fragmented media landscape, familiar political set-pieces, bland social media exhortations and the sit-down broadcast network interview aren't nearly enough anymore. Nor is the occasional lions-den podcast appearance. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at cmahtesian@ or on X (formerly know as Twitter) at @PoliticoCharlie. What'd I Miss? — Trump installs new GSA acting administrator, sidelines DOGE leaders: President Donald Trump has appointed Mike Rigas as acting administrator of the General Services Administration, effectively layering DOGE-aligned Stephen Ehikian and Josh Gruenbaum atop the agency. Rigas, a Trump administration veteran who has served as deputy secretary of State for Management and Resources and as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, announced the move in a message to GSA staff this morning. GSA staffers and people close to the Department of Government Efficiency view this appointment as a strategic move by the White House to rein in Ehikian, the former acting administrator, and Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service within GSA. — Trump lashes out at federal judge presiding over Harvard case: President Donald Trump attacked the federal judge presiding over Harvard University's lawsuit against his administration in a social media post this afternoon. Harvard is seeking to restore more than $2 billion in funding from the federal government after the Trump administration launched a review of roughly $9 billion in grants and contracts with the university over accusations that Harvard violated the rights of Jewish students, including during demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama in 2014, heard arguments this morning in the case, the latest in a series of standoffs between the university and the White House. — ICE will 'flood the zone' in NYC: The Department of Homeland Security will 'flood the zone' with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New York City after the City Council blocked federal law enforcement agencies from opening an office in the city jails, President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan said this morning. Homan joined DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials to deliver that message at One World Trade Center after an off-duty federal customs officer was shot by an undocumented immigrant in an attempted robbery Saturday night, Noem said. — U.S. senators visit Canada to build bridges as trade deadline looms: With the clock ticking to an Aug. 1 deadline to strike a new Canada-U.S. trade and security deal, four U.S. senators met Prime Minister Mark Carney in search of common ground on some of the thorniest cross-border trade irritants: lumber, digital services taxes and metals tariffs. 'We are bridge builders, not people who throw wrenches,' Sen. Ron Wyden (R-Ore.) told reporters today following a 45-minute meeting on Parliament Hill. Top of mind for the visiting Americans was the successful renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that President Donald Trump once called the 'largest, most significant, modern, and balanced trade agreement in history.' — Judge gives ex-officer nearly 3 years in Breonna Taylor raid, rebuffs DOJ call for no prison time: A federal judge sentenced a former Kentucky police officer to nearly three years in prison today for using excessive force during the 2020 deadly Breonna Taylor raid, declining a U.S. Department of Justice recommendation that he be given no prison time. Brett Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid but didn't hit anyone, was the only officer on the scene charged in the Black woman's death. He is the first person sentenced to prison in the case that rocked the city of Louisville and spawned weeks of street protests over police brutality five years ago. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings sentenced Hankison at a hearing this afternoon in which she said no prison time 'is not appropriate' for Hankison. She also said she was 'startled' that there weren't more people injured in the raid. — White House removes Wall Street Journal from Scotland press pool over Epstein bombshell: The White House is removing the Wall Street Journal from the pool of reporters covering the president's weekend trip to Scotland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told POLITICO. The move follows the Journal's report alleging that President Donald Trump sent a sexually suggestive message to Jeffrey Epstein in has denied the existence of the letter and POLITICO has not verified it. Tarini Parti, a White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal, had been scheduled to serve as the print pooler for the final two days of Trump's four-day trip to his golf courses in Turnberry and Aberdeen, Scotland. But the White House removed her from the trip manifest, Leavitt said. AROUND THE WORLD FARAGE MIMICS TRUMP — Nigel Farage announced today that any future Reform UK government would try to send prisoners overseas to complete their sentences — including to El Salvador. The Reform UK leader said the plan, which echoes one of President Donald Trump's own hardline policies, would see up to 10,000 'serious' prisoners serve their time abroad in countries like Kosovo or Estonia. The governing Labour Party dismissed it as mere 'headline-chasing.' Farage's right-wing party — which is leading the government in the polls — promised 'dynamic' prison places abroad, with the British government renting cells in third countries. Reform argues that pulling Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights would remove a key barrier to this plan. SEARCHING FOR SPIES — Ukraine's SBU state security service launched a series of raids on the country's National Anti-Corruption Bureau today as part of a sweeping investigation into suspected collusion with Russian spies. The SBU alleges that one of the top detectives at the anti-corruption agency, Ruslan Magamedrasulov, and another elite officer at the bureau were working as Russian moles. Both were detained. In total, more than 70 searches were conducted. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP THE BIGGER PICTURE — Between 1907 and 1935, most color photographs were taken using the autochrome process, which used colored potato starch, silver emulsion and glass plates to capture still images. Now, a century later, many of those photos are punctured with tiny holes or stained with purple and orange blotches as they deteriorate from light and heat exposure and their silver bases oxidize. While the original versions are gone, archivists are not mourning the damage done. Instead, they're celebrating the opportunity to study the pictures and learn about the science behind their decay. Katy Kelleher reports for National Geographic. Parting Image Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Jelly Roll: White House UFC fight plans ‘awesome'
Jason DeFord, the country singer known as Jelly Roll, was hyped up about President Trump's proposal for the White House to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on the South Lawn, saying earlier this week that it would be 'awesome.' 'Now, listen, I know this is causing a little bit of controversy, but for me, I think it's awesome. I'm not gonna lie,' the 'Save Me' singer said Thursday while guest hosting ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.' 'Where I'm from, watching two meth heads beat the p— out of each other on a lawn is just a part of our year,' he added. 'I tell you what, a UFC fight at the White House might not be what our Founding Fathers would have wanted. But our founding stepdads would have loved that s—.' Jelly Roll, who made waves last year after testifying on Capitol Hill about the fentanyl crisis, then joked that the U.S. should add an octagon to the Pentagon and allow geometry teachers to 'fight it out.' Trump, who has attended his fair share of UFC fights over the years, first floated the idea of hosting a 'championship fight' at the White House earlier this month during a trip to Iowa. The event will be part of the celebrations for the nation's 250th anniversary next year, which is also expected to include a youth sporting event dubbed the 'Patriot Games,' according to the president. 'We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there. We're going to build a little — we're not, Dana's going to do it,' he said, referring to UFC CEO Dana White. 'Dana's great. One of a kind.' White has also shared his enthusiasm for the fight, claiming 'everybody' wants to add their name to the list of fighters. 'I mean, you don't even have to know who's blowing up my phone,' White said Sunday during a post-fight press conference at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. 'You can just see it all on the Internet.' 'But, you know, the fight's a year away, so the landscape will change a lot over the next year,' he added. Trump suggested the event, which will likely require various permits, could host up to 25,000 people.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
UFC 318 LIVE streaming info: Preview, fight cards, when and where to watch Dustin Poirier's last fight?
PREVIEW Dustin Poirier will step into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) octagon for the last time when he takes on reigning BMF champion Max Holloway on Sunday. Holloway claimed the title with an emphatic finish of Justin Gaethje last year at UFC 300. He moved back down to featherweight following that win with designs on ascending to the throne once again, only to be felled by Ilia Topuria. ALSO READ | Derrick Lewis unleashes his beast mode on Tallison Teixeira The BMF belt is a gimmick UFC title that was created for a UFC match featuring Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, and has been a mainstay ever since its creation back in 2019. Poirier and Holloway are intimately familiar with one another, having fought twice in the past. The two first met almost 13 years ago at UFC 143, when Holloway, then 20, made his promotional debut. Poirier, an emerging featherweight prospect at the time, submitted the Hawaiian in the first round with a triangle armbar, securing his fourth consecutive UFC win. They faced off again in 2019, with the interim featherweight title at stake. Poirier completed the double over Holloway, winning by unanimous decision at UFC 236. Full fight card Main Event: Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier Other Main Card Matches Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez Dan Ige vs Patricio Pitbull Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber Prelim Matches Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov Ateba Gautier vs Robert Valentin Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzekski Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari Streaming and telecast information The UFC 318, headlined by the title fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will be streamed live on the Sony LIV app/website. The event will also be telecast across the Sony Sports Network. The main event starts at 7:30AM IST on Sunday at the Smoothie King Center in Ner Orleans.
Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Unprecedented MMA action as PFL Africa hosts elite fighters in Cape Town's Grand Arena
The best MMA fighters in the world are in South Africa preparing to fight in the PFL Champions Series in the Mother City, with the event doubling as the inaugural PFL Africa fixture. The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is setting up shop in Africa with the PFL Africa, and it's hosting the biggest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event South Africa has seen thus far in its launch. The PFL competes alongside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in terms of organisation size and calibre, with several of the worlds best MMA fighters taking to the Grand Arena at Grandwest, Cape Town, on Saturday, 19 July 2025, to compete. It's looking increasingly unlikely that UFC — in which South African middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis competes — will host an event in South Africa for the foreseeable future with operational costs, ticket prices and suitable venues an issue for the Dana White-run organisation. So for South African MMA fans, Saturday's event is the highest quality MMA event the country will see until PFL decides to return. PFL Africa launches on Saturday — PFL's third international league alongside PFL Europe and PFL Middle East and North Africa — beginning with first-round matchups in the heavyweight and bantamweight divisions. Each division will feature an eight-person bracket, with fighters advancing through semifinals and finals. The tournament will span four events across Africa and feature 24 fighters from 14 African countries. The next event is on 9 August in Johannesburg — at Top Arena, Carnival City — where the featherweight and welterweight divisions will compete. South Africa's Nkosi Ndebele's (8-3) bantamweight bout against Egypt's Mahmoud Atef (5-2) is one of a handful of mouthwatering PFL Africa clashes on Saturday. Later on Saturday night the event will be headlined by five PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai bouts — PFL's main fighting league. In the World Title main event, undefeated Middleweight World Champion Johnny Eblen (16-0) meets Spain's Costello van Steenis (16-3). In the co-main event, undefeated 2024 PFL world champion Dakota Ditcheva (14-0) takes on Hawaii's Sumiko Inaba (8-1). Headliners In the process of PFL's ongoing expansion, it also acquired another MMA organisation, Bellator MMA, in 2023. In doing so, it signed several of their stars including Saturday's star attraction Eblen. 'Being part of the global expansion for the PFL is really fun,' Eblen said at the media day on Wednesday. 'Me and my wife get to travel the world. 'It's fun to see the world, see different cultures and see fighting spread. At the end of the day it's what we want to do, and the PFL has been a big staple for that, and I'm happy to be a part of it. 'What's attractive about it is that they can bring in new guys for me to fight. '[PFL] is really good at raising money and getting things going. I'm fighting in Africa now, I fought in Saudi Arabia twice, before that I was mainly fighting in the States, which was fun but I also like travelling.' It's Eblen's first time in South Africa. The middleweight star has spent two weeks in the country to acclimatise and get over the time difference. But in the time he's been in the Mother City, he's also had his phone stolen. 'We were in an Uber, my window was down in the city centre in a bad area and someone snatched my phone,' he said, although admitting that it was down to his own negligence. 'But that would happen anywhere, that would happen in the US in a bad area.' His opponent on Saturday night, Van Steenis, was adamant that he would break Eblen's unbeaten run, claiming he would end the bout in the second round. Eblen's response was short and to the point: 'No, he's not.' Although the 33-year-old did outline that Van Steenis is a top athlete, he's confident he'll retain his middleweight crown against the Spaniard. 'He's an aggressive, athletic guy, he goes for the finish, but that's really it,' Eblen said. 'Every guy I've fought has that ability. He's nothing different to what I've seen from any other opponent. Just a different guy on a different day. I've got better.'
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Derrick Lewis unleashes his beast mode on Tallison Teixeira
The Bridgestone Arena erupted on a thrilling fight night as Derrick 'The Black Beast' Lewis delivered a lightning-fast knockout, solidifying his legendary status in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight division. In a highly anticipated main event, Lewis swiftly dispatched Tallison Teixeira in merely 35 seconds of the opening round, further cementing his record for the most knockouts (16) in UFC history. From the opening bell, Lewis demonstrated his signature power. Despite a brief moment where Teixeira managed to land a shot, Lewis quickly recovered and unleashed a devastating left hand that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas. The referee wasted no time in stopping the contest, ensuring Teixeira's safety and marking a decisive victory for Lewis. This impressive performance secured back-to-back wins for Lewis against promising Brazilian contenders, highlighting his continued dominance and unwavering power inside the octagon. Beyond the Beast The night's excitement wasn't limited to the main event. The co-main event saw a closely contested battle where Gabriel Bonfim edged out Stephen Thompson, the oldest active fighter in the promotion, via split decision. Thompson and Bonfim followed an action-packed main card, which saw three consecutive bouts end via finish, before Steve Garcia extended his winning run to six fights with a unanimous decision over Calvin Kattar. The opening few minutes of the fight saw both fighters exchanging leg kicks, but Bonfim's shots did most of the damage. The Brazilian then initiated a successful takedown, which rattled Thompson, but he was able to get back on his feet eventually. With the crowd backing homeboy Thompson to the fullest, Bonfim attempted multiple takedowns but found little success. Bonfim, in the final round, was able to dominate towards the end as he pinned Thompson along the fence. The 27-year-old's efforts were enough to get the nod from two out of the three judges and take a split decision for his third straight victory. The Reaper is back! The UFC is set to deliver a highly anticipated middleweight clash as Robert Whittaker prepares to face the surging Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 at the Etihad Arena. Robert Whittaker, a former UFC Middleweight Champion, will step back into the octagon looking to reassert his dominance. His opponent, Reinier de Ridder, a decorated former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, has made an impressive splash in the UFC, accumulating an undefeated record since his debut last year. De Ridder's recent victory over Bo Nickal has further elevated his stock, making him a formidable challenge for 'The Reaper'. The match-up promises a compelling clash of styles, with Whittaker's precise striking facing de Ridder's grappling skills — potentially shaping the future of the middleweight division. Related Topics UFC
