Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s assassination at an open-air university gathering continues to dominate the headlines today and serves as a troubling reminder of just how serious the security arrangement situation will be for the UFC’s planned event on the grounds of the White House next summer.

The subject of security came up during an interview with Dana White on ‘The Herd’ podcast this week, and while it sounds like there’s a lot of work still to be done on that front, it is clearly something that’s very much in his thoughts for the historic event.

“So we went to the White House last week, me and my team, and we had the first meeting with [President Trump], we laid out all the renderings and we started to get him to sign off on what he likes and doesn’t like, and he loved it,” White told Colin Cowherd. “So yeah, now we’re diving in head first. Now all the work starts. …

“This last time I was at the White House, I went up on the roof of the White House and they got snipers with 50 cals all over the roof of the White House. It’s pretty crazy. But, yes, the security is going to be a massive issue, because at the end of the day, Secret Service’s job is to protect the president, and I don’t know how it’s going to  work out as far as having people there live on the lawn of the White House. It’ll be under 5,000 [people] though.”

That projected audience at the still-to-be-constructed venue on the lawn of the White House will be on the lower-side compared to the major PPV events the UFC normally puts on, such as the recent UFC 318 event at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, which drew over 18,000 fans.

However, White says that there will be also likely be space for a huge number of people to watch on giant screens nearby.

“There’s a, I can’t remember what they call it, there’s a park that’s connected to the White House, we could put 85,000 people over there with screens, and we’re going to put a big stage out there, do concerts.

“We’re going to take over Washington, DC that whole week.”