The photo that proves America has finally reached peak absurdity under Trump

[nitpicked]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ufc-claw-white-house-ballroom-trump-b2987428.html

he photograph is almost too on-the-nose to qualify as satire. Drone footage of Washington, DC this weekend showed the results of the last few months of Trumpism, an architectural mishmash of pure, unfettered absurdity.

In the foreground is a half-built UFC octagon known as ‘The Claw’, constructed for a fight that supposedly celebrates 250 years of America and will also conveniently fall on Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

In the middle ground are the half-demolished remains of the East Wing of the White House, alongside a large building site surrounding the “whoops, actually it’s taxpayer-funded!” ballroom Trump decided he just had to have. A federal judge recently stalled its construction but, since the president predicted “death and destruction” if it didn’t continue, we can presume that the ballroom build will resume very soon.

And of course, in the background, barely visible through the debris, is America’s seat of democracy: the White House itself.
(snip)

((sorry, don't know how to post the picture, help welcome))

[Celerity]

1. The pic

[FadedMullet]

3. Looks like the aftermath of an explosion. Which it is.

[sop]

4. Before and after...

[MustLoveBeagles]

13. It's as ugly as the president that caused it

[aeromanKC]

2. We're living Idiocracy in real time.

[J_William_Ryan]

5. Childish

[yonder]

6. Looks like the Moran State Fair to me.

[Omnipresent]

7. The UFC fight is primarily for trump's base voters.

I don’t believe the event will impress enough of them to turn out to vote for trump candidates.

[wnylib]

8. The arch for the fight looks like a half ferris wheel to me.

[electric_blue68]

9. I d k about an "Octagon".....

That 4 arched structure is pretty similar to the gigantic structure (minus the central upper light tower, and flexible, openable conical suspended LED screen) that towered over U2 during their 360 tour 2009 - 2011.
It was called "The Claw".
I know bc I was there.

The rest of the grounds? What an effin' mess. Bastard!!

ETA - OK I guess the octigon part is the seating area's shape.

[dalton99a]

10. Fucking criminal

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. MaddowBlog-Trump-branded UFC 'medallions' go on sale ahead of scheduled White House match

For just under $12,000, you too can buy a coin, “designed” by the president, celebrating the UFC Freedom 250 event.

For just under ,000, you too can buy a Trump-branded gold “medallion,” “designed” by the president, celebrating the UFC’s White House event.

This is not to be confused with Trump-branded shoes, guitars, Bibles, watches, digital trading cards, or phones. #grift
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-06-09T19:56:15.884Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-branded-ufc-medallions-white-house-match

In the months leading up to Election Day 2024, when Donald Trump was ostensibly focused on his candidacy, the Republican launched a dizzying merchandising campaign, pitching everything from Trump-branded watches to silver Trump commemorative coins, batches of digital trading cards to a weird cryptocurrency project, and gold sneakers to Trump-endorsed Bibles....

MS NOW’s Jake Traylor and Soorin Kim reported Tuesday that there are Trump-branded “medallions” on sale, tied to this weekend’s UFC event on the White House’s South Lawn.

The souvenir gold and silver coins range in price from $249.99 to $11,999.99. That’s not a typo: A website called RealTrumpCoins.com is actually selling UFC Freedom 250 “medallions” that people can purchase for just under $12,000. (The website boasts that the coins were “designed” by the president himself.)

Donald Trump is selling UFC-branded coins for ,000 to promote the UFC fight on the White House lawn

— FactPost (@factpostnews.bsky.social) 2026-06-09T17:20:05.074565128Z

....To be sure, the scheduled UFC bout, set to coincide with the president’s 80th birthday, was already controversial, and not just because of the bizarre structure that continues to take shape at the White House. There have also been related questions about Trump’s stock purchase in UFC’s parent company before the upcoming match on the South Lawn.....

The $12,000 gold coins, however, take this mess to a new and unsettling level.

This week, a new lawsuit was filed alleging corruption in connection with the upcoming UFC event, with the hopes of derailing the plans for the gathering, and a judge is expecting a response by Tuesday. Watch this space

[malaise]

12. How is this legal?

Asking for a friend