WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is handpicking most of the more than 4,000 spectators for UFC Freedom 250, the mixed martial arts event scheduled for June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House. All tickets to the event are free, with the UFC footing the bill.

"I'm going to make a lot of enemies because it's impossible to get everyone tickets," Trump said. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the president is allocating most tickets among members of the military, VIPs including friends of the president, members of Congress and foreign dignitaries, and administration staff.

Cheung said he is keeping a list of individuals requesting tickets. "I get calls, texts or emails every day — a few times every day" requesting tickets, he said.

UFC president and CEO Dana White said he turned most of his allotment over to the president. "I only took a handful of tickets; I gave the rest of them to President Trump. I keep telling people I don't have tickets," White said. "That handful represents 200 seats."

TKO Holdings, the UFC's parent company, controls another 200 seats for the event. According to a Republican lobbyist familiar with the process, sponsorship packages that include ringside seats have been selling for $1 million or more, with one account placing some packages as high as $1.5 million. The White House directed inquiries about sponsorships to the UFC, which said it is not selling tickets to the event.

Trump hosted UFC fighters in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon to promote the June 14 card, showing off images of the planned event before asking competitors to speak. He was joined by UFC stars Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane, and a special UFC title belt for Freedom 250 was presented.

"This will be the greatest show on Earth," Trump said as he displayed the renderings. He also said, "Some people can take a punch and some people can't. And in life, it's always good to be able to do that." UFC Freedom 250 is headlined by a lightweight title fight between belt-holder Topuria and challenger Gaethje.