One president celebrated his 80th birthday, the other celebrated the grand opening of his presidential center. And both were star-studded, nationwide events.
Which event had the bigger star power?
On June 14, President Donald Trump turned 80 years old, with the highlight of his milestone birthday the much-anticipated UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. Organized by his friend, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, Trump sat ringside with first lady Melania Trump and the rest of the Trump family, including a rare appearance by first son Barron Trump.
Five days later, on Thursday, June 18, former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama hosted a red carpet-worthy grand opening ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois. Several A-list celebrities attended − as well as the three other former presidents. The Obama center, which includes a towering museum, a Chicago Public Library branch, athletic center, and civic center, opens to the public on Juneteenth, or June 19.
One major omission from the Obama center grand opening ceremony? Donald Trump, who previously bashed the estimated $850 million center as a “total disaster” in a Truth Social post. However, the Obama Foundation told USA TODAY Trump was “welcome” to visit and tour the grounds.
None of the four former presidents − Obama, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush − attended Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Coincidentally, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton celebrate their 80th birthdays this summer, too.
Below is information about the celebrities who appeared at Trump’s MMA birthday bash at the White House and those who showed up to the Obama Presidential Center grand opening ceremony in Chicago.
Which celebrities attended Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 at the White House? Photos from MMA fight in DC
On June 14, 2026, a UFC event on the White House South Lawn in Washington, D.C., headlined Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebration. In addition to the first family (see below) and members of Donald Trump’s cabinet, these celebrities attended:
Barron Trump attends dad’s 80th birthday, sits with his 82-year-old grandfather Viktor Knavs
All of Donald Trump’s adult children − Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump and Barron Trump − attended their father’s 80th birthday celebration and the UFC Freedom 250 MMA fight at the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026. It was only the second public appearance by Donald Trump’s youngest, 20-year-old Barron Trump, since his inauguration in January 2025. Barron Trump, a rising junior at New York University’s Stern School of Business, sat near his parents and grandfather Viktor Knavs, Melania Trump’s 82-year-old father.
The photo gallery above shows the extended Trump family, from 19-year-old first granddaughter Kai Trump to the Trump children’s spouses, Lara Trump, Michael Boulos, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr.’s new wife, Palm Beach socialite Bettina Trump (formerly Bettina Anderson).
Which celebrities attended Obama Presidential Center grand opening ceremony in Chicago?
The Obama Presidential Center grand opening ceremony, which was invitation-only, included performances by some of the stars on the list below. See photos from the Thursday, June 18, 2026, event with this story:
Obama Presidential Center address, hours, info
The Obama Presidential Center, 6001 S. Stony Island Ave., Chicago, IL 60637, features a museum and the surrounding campus on Chicago’s South Side in Jackson Park. It it located near the University of Chicago and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
It opens to the public Friday, June 19, 2026, or the federal holiday Juneteenth.
Cost for timed tickets to the museum, which is open daily, start at $22. However, as of June 17, museum tickets were sold out through the end of October. The campus grounds, including the John Lewis Plaza, Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, the playground, and the Great Lawn, are free and open to the public daily. Visit obama.org.
Contributing: Kinsey Crowley and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Which had bigger star power, Trump UFC fight or Obama center opening?
Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jennifer Sangalang, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
