Hunter Biden says he's 'offended' by White House UFC fight: 'Some of our public spaces are sacred'

In a post to social media on Thursday, Hunter Biden claimed that he was "offended" by the UFC Freedom 250 event that took place on the White House’s South Lawn on Sunday night, showcasing a number of high-profile fights. Biden said that the "some of our public spaces are sacred," and that the event could have been held anywhere other than the lawn.

In a post addressed to Joe Rogan, who had hit back at critics of the event on his podcast, Biden wrote, "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."

He said the event was "a show. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to witness it firsthand," but said that his "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."

He said that the event "could have happened in any stadium within a stone’s throw of the South Lawn," and that "no one would have had an issue with it." The event is one of a series of events marking America’s 250th birthday, and fighters fought in an octagon that had the famed White House as the backdrop.

"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,'" Biden added.

He called the fights "an exhibition of imperial domination, not a celebration of our 250th anniversary as a democracy," and said the White House "does not belong to an emperor, or a king, or a commissar" like Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Versailles.

"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."

Under Biden’s father’s administration, the White House was the backdrop of a number of events, including a controversial Pride event at which a transgender TikToker went topless.