In June 2026, a pair of images (archived) circulated online that claimed to authentically show the White House South Lawn before and after the Trump administration started building a UFC structure.
The "before" image showed a neatly trimmed green lawn in front of the White House, while the "after" image showed that same lawn paved over with a massive structure and bleachers.
One Threads user who posted the images wrote, "Tell me again how Liberals don't respect America's history or institutions."
The images also circulated on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and X (archived). Snopes readers contacted us to ask about the authenticity of the images.
The alleged before-and-after images were fake. The images incorrectly placed a real fountain near the actual South Lawn too close to the White House. The images also placed the Washington Monument to the north of the White House when it is actually located to the south.
It was unclear who originally created or edited the images. The glaring mistakes of geography suggested someone had used artificial intelligence to make them.
(Google Earth and Threads user @realmarydiamond, illustrated by Snopes)
A photo from the reputable picture agency Getty Images showed that the Trump administration had not paved over the South Lawn to construct the UFC structure that is scheduled to host celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the U.S., nor had the administration built any bleachers.
The Getty photo, taken from the Washington Monument on May 31, 2026, did show extensive construction for Trump's planned ballroom, which would replace the demolished East Wing.
Another Getty Images photo taken from the Washington Monument on June 19, 2025, before the Trump administration demolished the East Wing, showed that the fake "before" image placed the fountain in the President's Park much closer to the White House than it actually was.
The fake images also both incorrectly depicted the road at the bottom of the South Lawn, curving it down instead of up toward the White House.
The real octagon-shaped cage that the Trump administration built on the White House South Lawn in May 2026 was due to host a night of UFC fighting on June 14, 2026, to coincide with Trump's birthday and celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the U.S.
Initial reports on the structure said it would be temporary, though Trump appeared to suggest in a June 2 TikTok video (archived) that the structure might stay for good. It was unclear whether this was meant in jest.
For further reading, Snopes has reported extensively on claims related to Trump's East Wing demolition and planned ballroom.