Trump owns shares in company hosting UFC bout as part of his vast holdings

NEW YORK – Fighters, promoters and TV streamers all stand to gain from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout that US President Donald Trump hosted on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14.

As a small investor in TKO Group Holdings, UFC’s parent company, the President could benefit as well.

In March, one of Trump’s brokerage accounts purchased between US$15,000 (S$19,200) and US$50,000 in shares of the company, according to a recently released financial disclosure. A Trump account also held a small number of shares in TKO Group as at 2024, another disclosure form shows.

Ethics groups have lamented that the President is using government land to hold an event that could theoretically benefit him. One group sued, seeking to block the fight, and cited Trump’s shares in TKO Group. A judge ruled on June 12 that the bout could proceed.

The shares represent a tiny fraction of Trump’s overall investment portfolio, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and spans hundreds of stocks and bonds. The precise size of Trump’s stake in TKO Group, and whether it has changed since March, is unknown.

There is also no indication that the President was involved in the trade.

Trump’s family business, The Trump Organization, has said that the President has no control over trades in his brokerage accounts. Rather, the company says that these were automated trades placed by outside financial institutions that have full authority over the accounts.

“Neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments,” The Trump Organization said in a statement. “They receive no advance notice of trades, cannot alter or override the managers’ strategies or models, and provide no input regarding investment decisions or portfolio operations.”

The company said it had created this buffer to mitigate ethical concerns.

“This structure was intentionally designed to maintain a clear separation between President Trump and the independent third party investment managers overseeing the accounts, and avoid even the appearance of any conflict of interest,” the company said in the statement.

The fight on June 14, which the President held on his 80th birthday and in honour of the nation’s 250th birthday, is expected to be a big moneymaker for UFC and other Trump allies.

Paramount Skydance, the media company owned by Larry and David Ellison, who are friendly with the President, was streaming the event.

It is unclear, however, whether Trump and other TKO Group shareholders will immediately benefit. The stock was down more than 4 per cent on June 12. NYTIMES

• This article originally appeared in The New York Times.