Eric Trump strongly denied sending messages asking about rigged fights at the UFC Freedom 250 event held on June 14, 2026, at the White House South Lawn. Screenshots showing Trump’s account questioning commentator Daniel Cormier about fighter injuries, bets, and alleged fight rigging were posted then deleted by Cormier on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
In the screenshots, Eric Trump’s account specifically mentioned the Diego Lopes fight and raised questions about the legitimacy of bouts during the event coinciding with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday [2, 4, 5]. Eric Trump, 42, responded forcefully, calling the screenshots "completely fake" and stating, "I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary" [1].
Daniel Cormier, 47, who posted the screenshots initially alongside a condemnation of insider misconduct, later deleted the posts and said his account had been hacked. He denied authoring the messages and described the situation as “crazy,” adding, "They're not real. I can't believe you guys believed that. Like, who believes that?" and "Are people really this dumb?" [2, 3, 4, 5].
Kimberly Benza, spokesperson for the Trump Organization, confirmed the screenshots were fabricated. She warned about the risks of AI-generated misinformation, saying, "These screenshots are fake. They were fabricated and do not reflect reality. This is one of the dangers of AI-generated content: false information can spread quickly when people don’t verify what they’re seeing. Please do better before sharing misinformation." [2, 3]
Eric Trump attended the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House with family members including Melania Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Barron Trump, Jared Kushner, and his granddaughter Kai Trump [3]. The event also attracted prominent technology CEOs such as David Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, and Kris Marszalek [2]. A minor controversy arose during the event after UFC fighter Josh Hokit made a false claim about Michelle Obama [2].
The UFC Freedom 250 event concluded on June 14, with follow-up denials from both Eric Trump and Daniel Cormier about the authenticity of the screenshots. Cormier stated in interviews that his social media account was compromised and the messages were part of a hoax [3, 4, 5].
