President Donald Trump’s vision for an all-American UFC extravaganza is drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. The president’s plan to host a night of cage matches on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate his 80th and the nation’s 250th birthdays has taken an awkward turn.

President Donald J. Trump issued a social media statement Saturday in which he seemed to be taking issue with “third rate artists” dropping out of government-sponsored appearances in Washington, D.C.,

Five artists have declined to perform at the event celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday, saying they didn’t know it was political in nature.

President Donald Trump responded to a wave of cancellations by artists who were scheduled to perform in Washington for the US’s 250th birthday by proposing himself as a better alternative.