Dear Joe,
I wish I could sit down with you face to face and explain why so many of us were offended by the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House.
For me, it had nothing to do with the UFC or who showed up for the fights. The brand you and Dana have built is a bona fide American success story. More power to you. As for the fighters, in my book, anyone brave enough to put it all on the line in the arena is remarkable to witness. Their dedication and discipline inspire me. I don’t understand anyone who can’t admire that.
And as for the people who attended, I, for one, love Shane Gillis. I think he’s hilarious and brilliant. It was a show. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to witness it firsthand.
My problem is that I believe some of our public spaces are sacred. And unlike many of the great powers that came before us, these American monuments belong to all of us. Not to whoever happens to hold power at the moment.
The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It does not belong to any President. It belongs to the people. To treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for.
This is not Rome. Presidents are not emperors doling out bread and circuses for the peasants. The White House is the People’s House. This “celebration” could have happened in any stadium within a stone’s throw of the South Lawn. No one would have had an issue with it.
But that was obviously Donald Trump’s whole point. By holding the event on the South Lawn, what he was saying to the rest of us is:
“This is my house. I own it. I will do with it what I please. I’ll build a colosseum and have the gladiators fight under my gaze. I’ll tear down the East Wing. I’ll pave over the Rose Garden. I’ll cover everything in gold and marble. I’ll erase the names of all the men who came before me.”
The fights were an exhibition of imperial domination, not a celebration of our 250th anniversary as a democracy.
The White House is not Buckingham Palace. It is not the Palace of Versailles. It is not the Forbidden City of Beijing. It does not belong to an emperor, or a king, or a commissar.
The White House belongs to us. All of us. The person who sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office is nothing more than an honored guest. A temporary caretaker.
The President is our servant. Not our Caesar.
Respectfully, Hunter
P.S. Cage match between me and Don Jr.? Your call on the venue. Anywhere but the South Lawn.
I’m sure pops tells him how great he is behind the scene so he know that. But I feel that night that moment was about his son , and he should’ve made it publicly about his son at that moment.
Wiz Khalifa says his 13-year-old son brings his aroma everywhere he goes and speaks on the struggle of trying to send him to school without him smelling like weed 😭🍃
“he goes to school everyday and I’m like you smell like weed bruh? he like ‘uh yeah,’ I’m like f-ck, cause I don’t smoke right by him, my house just smells like kush”
“These motherf*ckers are crying.”
Kevin Hart reacts to all the New York Knicks fans who are overly emotional that the Knicks won the NBA championship and says Spike Lee deserves a New York Knicks championship ring.
(🎥 Kevinhart4real/IG)
HEARTBREAKING: A New York City school bus driver attempted to defend his bus from a WILD CROWD celebrating the New York #Knicks Finals victory.
The driver was yelling at fans: “It's coming out of my paycheck…”
This is horrible to watch 💔💔💔
TRUE OR FALSE: #FALCONS QB MATT RYAN DESERVES TO BE A FIRST-BALLOT HALL OF FAMER…?
• 4x Pro-Bowler
• First Team All-Pro
• OPOY (2016)
• OROY (2008)
• MVP (2008)
• All-Rookie Team
• Passer Rating Leader (2016)
• Completion % Leader (2012)
• Bert Bell Award 2016
• 62,792 Passing yards (9th All-Time)
• 381 TDs (10th All-Time)
• 93.6 Passer Rating (23rd All-Time)
• 1 of 2 players to throw for 4K yard in ten straight seasons
• Most passing yards through a players first 13 seasons
• Most completions through a players first 13 seasons
• 2nd fastest QB to reach 50,000 yards
• ATL leader in passing yards, TDs, completions, passer rating, completion percentage and 300 yard games