Trump Compares White House UFC Arena To Eiffel Tower: 'Maybe We'll Never, Ever Take It Down'

BreakingBusinessTrump Compares White House UFC Arena To Eiffel Tower: 'Maybe We'll Never, Ever Take It Down'ByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 12:17pm EDTToplinePresident Donald Trump has called for the 87-foot steel-and-wire-mesh arena constructed for an upcoming UFC fight at the White House to be a permanent fixture of the South Lawn, comparing the structure to France’s iconic Eiffel Tower and suggesting it be made permanent. Construction on the South Lawn of the White House for an upcoming UFC match on May 29, 2026. Getty ImagesKey FactsSpeaking from the Oval Office in a TikTok video, Trump called the purpose-built arena “quite attractive to a lot of people” and mused, “maybe we’ll never, ever take it down.”He said he sees it as similar to the Eiffel Tower on the Seine River, which was originally built as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair in Paris and meant to be taken down after 20 years. Trump said the tower was left up because officials said “we kind of like it,” but in reality the tower remained because the French military found it valuable as a radio antenna and it was later used to intercept enemy communications.Today, the Eiffel Tower is home to several satellite dishes and 120 antennas broadcasting television channels and radio stations to the greater Paris area. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src = '//cd.elements.video/player.js?cid=62cec241-7d09-4462-afc2-f72f8d8ef40a'; script.setAttribute('defer', '1'); script.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); iframeDoc.body.appendChild(script); }; document.head.appendChild(iframe); const preloadResourcesEndpoint = 'https://cds.elements.video/a/prelo...