Marco Rubio’s comparison that President Donald Trump’s White House UFC bash is akin to the Apollo moon landing left an MS NOW panel stunned.
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The Secretary of State defended the controversial mixed martial arts event during a Thursday appearance, casting UFC Freedom 250 as a quintessentially American feat on par with one of the nation’s greatest achievements.
“You just gotta hear this bizarre comparison he made,” quipped host Jonathan Capehart.
“When President Kennedy announced that we were going to put a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth, no one thought that was possible. And we did it,” Rubio said in the clip. “We are a nation founded on doing what no one else dared to do, and no one else aspired to do. And at some level, that’s what this whole company, what UFC has been.”
MS NOW panelists burst into laughter off camera, as Capehart tried to hold back a chuckle and added, “I’m just gonna leave that alone.”
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Scrutiny has grown over the spectacle.
Court filings show the $60 million UFC event is being supported by at least seven federal agencies, while D.C. taxpayers will foot an estimated $10 to $12 million in supplemental security costs, per ESPN.
Reuters/Ipsos polling shows just 16 percent of Americans support holding the fights at the White House. Critics — including the Public Integrity Project, which has called the event a “volcano of corruption” — argue the bash is a thinly veiled birthday celebration for Trump, who bought UFC parent company stock before announcing the event.
Laura Barron-Lopez wrote for MS NOW about a $1 million per plate fundraiser for Trump’s top super PAC the night before the brawl.
“And Trump ‘officially designed’ a line of ‘Trump x UFC Freedom 250’ medallions, which are selling for $250 to $12,000,” she wrote.
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Sharing an excerpt from her piece, Capehart was left aghast.
“What in the grift is this?” he questioned.
