White House Braces for a Potential Birthday Party Spoiler

President Donald Trump hopes to ring in his birthday with a cage-fight extravaganza, but organizers are scrambling to please him while grappling with the one thing no one can control: the weather.

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The Sunday event is set to take place on the same day as heavy thunderstorms are expected in Washington, DC, with lightning and even the possibility of a tornado threatening to disrupt plans for the America 250 celebrations.

Still, as the outlet reported, while organizers say they can cope with heavy rain, lightning may pose a greater risk. The event therefore risks fights being paused or halted for safety reasons—something that would likely frustrate Trump, 80, if it were to occur.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the UFC event, where a massive structure nicknamed “The Claw” has been erected on the White House lawn. The structure towers over the fighting arena, known as the Octagon, and features a steel framework fitted with large beam lights.

The metal-heavy construction could be vulnerable in thunderstorms, as exposed structures conduct electricity efficiently, posing a particular safety concern if severe weather moves in, according to the National Weather Service.

The structure is also not covered on all sides, meaning that any heavy rainfall or strong winds could be felt by both spectators and fighters.

“I would have never wanted to do it; I would have said we can’t do it; they have to be in a controlled environment,” Trump’s friend Joe Rogan said on his podcast on Wednesday, adding that it would be better if the event was “canceled” and moved indoors.

Similarly, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White said on Friday that he would prefer to hold future UFC events exclusively in arenas, adding that he was “sick and tired of hearing about the weather.”

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The uncontrollable force of nature risks disrupting more than just a small birthday party, as Trump’s celebration has grown into a $60 million production requiring nearly 500 portable toilets, hundreds of trucks, up to 900 contractors, and support from at least seven federal agencies.

The president had already faced a setback a day before his birthday, after a judge ruled that his name had been unlawfully added to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and ordered its removal from the building’s facade, as workers hung heavy white tarps to obscure the process from public view.

If anything happens during the UFC fights, the president’s team will not be able to hide it, as the event will be broadcast live and streamed in full on Paramount+.

Trump has admitted that he is already, in some ways, unhappy about his birthday, as the day marks his entry into the ranks of octogenarians worldwide.

“I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday,” the president said in a video to Dr. Mehmet Oz, who turned 66 on Wednesday. “You don’t have to wish me a happy birthday, because I’m not happy about that birthday. It’s a number that I never thought really too much about. It’s not a number I like, but I’m here nonetheless,” he added.

If the Sunday evening event is disrupted by the weather, it would echo what happened last year on Trump’s birthday, when a large military parade through the streets of Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, had to be moved earlier in the day after thunderstorms were forecast in the capital.

Rain on Trump’s 79th birthday dampened both turnout and the mood throughout the day.

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