Eric Trump responds after ‘leaked messages’ appear to show question about rigging at White House event

Eric Trump has denied asking a UFC commentator whether any of the fights at his father's White House birthday event were rigged, after screenshots of an alleged message exchange went viral online.

The now-deleted screenshots purported to show a conversation between Trump, 42, and UFC commentator Daniel Cormier, in which an account appearing as Eric Trump asked: "I'll just cut to the chase...are any of the fights tomorrow rigged?

"I've been eyeing the Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn't be too unrealistic. $$."

Cormier was then shown responding: "No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled you would even ask me something like that."

Cormier himself initially brought the alleged exchange to light, sharing the screenshots publicly and writing: "I'm probably going to get a lot of flak for bringing this to light, however I refuse to stay silent. Shame on anyone trying to ruin this beautiful event."

He subsequently deleted the post and appeared to row back on his account, writing simply: "Are people really this dumb?", a response Trump acknowledged on X, writing: "Thanks Daniel."

Eric Trump denies UFC rigged messages claims

Trump was swift and emphatic in his denial. "This is completely fake! I have never reached out to Daniel. In fact, this is scary," he wrote on X. In a series of follow-up posts, he described the screenshots as "AI-generated" and said his team were already "aware of the fake, AI generated screenshots" circulating online.

He also pointed to Cormier's deletion of the post as evidence of fabrication. "He has since deleted his post, which confirms it was clearly fabricated," Trump wrote, tagging both the UFC and CEO Dana White.

In a statement posted to X, he added: "That is absolutely not me. I didn't even know who the guy was. This is some kind of AI spoof. This is crazy."

MMA reporter says original post was real

Not everyone is convinced the screenshots were fabricated from the start, however. MMA reporter Adam Martin said he personally saw Cormier's original post before it was taken down, and pushed back on the suggestion it was a hack or a hoax.

"Since I've gotten a few DMs about this, yes, the DC tweet was 100% real, I saw it myself," Martin wrote on X.

"Others saw it. People screen captured it. DC tweeted and deleted it quickly, but people screen grabbed it fast, too. Wonder why DC deleted it. Someone got into his ear quickly, I guess."

Martin did leave open the possibility that the messages themselves could have been sent by a hacker rather than Trump.

"I do wonder if he got hacked and some hacker sent the DMs to DC," he wrote. "But DC's post 100% was legit. He pulled the classic Jon Jones 'tweet and delete' move."

The episode added an unexpected layer of controversy to what had already been a chaotic and polarising evening on the White House South Lawn, where UFC Freedom 250 took place as part of President Trump's 80th birthday celebrations.

Eric Trump and The Trump Organization have been approached for comment. They have said the messages were not real and AI.