Jane Fonda is preparing to headline what she calls a “free speech” event aimed at countering President Donald Trump’s upcoming UFC Freedom 250 celebration on June 14.

Fonda, long criticized for her political activism and nicknamed “Hanoi Jane,” will lead an event titled “Rise Up, Sing Out” in New York City that falls on the same day as Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event planned for Washington D.C.

Speaking to Reuters, Fonda declared, “This ⁠is our documentary moment. History is going to write about this, and I don’t want to be on the side of people who said, ‘Oh my God, things are so bad, what am I going to do?’ No. I want to be out in the front.”

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“Rise Up, Sing Out” is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and will feature several well-known performers, including Julia Roberts, Lily Gladstone, Bette Midler, Patti Smith, and Rufus Wainwright.

According to the event’s website, the concert is intended to mark a turning point as America nears its 250th anniversary.

The statement reads, “As America approaches its 250th anniversary, we have a choice about what story we tell. We can let strongman politics and corruption define the moment. Or we can make the story of America about people coming together — across race, background, identity, belief, and community — to defend our rights and build a future rooted in people power.”

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It continues, “On June 14, we rise up, we sing out, and we keep organizing.”

Notably, the date of both the concert and the UFC event coincides with President Trump’s 80th birthday, underscoring what many see as a deliberate counterprogramming effort by the actress and her allies.

Fonda has consistently used her platform to blast Trump and his policies since his first term in office.

Earlier this year, she accused him of “taking away” Americans’ rights and likened his leadership to that of a “banana Republic.”

In an interview with CNN’s The Source, Fonda claimed that arts institutions across the country were endangered under Trump’s influence.

“The attacks on the arts writ large,” she said, “Writers, painters, museums, National Endowment of the Arts, state arts councils. These are all being defunded. People who Trump doesn’t agree with are being fired. Networks who report on the war, for example, in ways that Trump doesn’t like, are told that they may lose their license. I mean, this is what happens in banana republics and in totalitarian countries.”

The actress also openly questioned Trump’s mental health in March, asserting that he was “mentally unstable.”

Trump, however, has maintained that his medical evaluations have “checked out perfectly,” dismissing questions about his fitness.

Beyond her political comments, Fonda has voiced opposition to a potential merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery.

Calling the deal a “threat to democracy,” she positioned herself as part of a broader movement opposing corporate consolidation in media and entertainment.

Fonda’s activism remains a defining aspect of her public identity, with “Rise Up, Sing Out” representing her latest effort to mobilize performers and audiences around her cause.

The June 14 timing ensures that her event will compete directly with Trump’s high-profile UFC Freedom 250 gathering, setting the stage for a striking cultural contrast between the two celebrations.

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