Trump Announces “Real-Life Hunger Games” to Mark America’s 250th Birthday
President Donald Trump has announced a new athletic event called the “Patriot Games” as part of the celebration for the United States’ 250th birthday next year.
The announcement was made on Thursday in a video released by Freedom 250, a group created to help lead the anniversary celebrations, according to a White House news release.
In the video, Trump said the White House will host a four-day competition in the fall. The event will bring together high school athletes from across the country. Each state and U.S. territory will send one young man and one young woman to compete.
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“In the fall, we will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes — one young man and one young woman from each state and territory,” Trump said in the video.
Freedom 250 describes itself as a national, non-partisan organization working with the administration on the 250th anniversary events. Trump had already teased the idea earlier this year, saying the games would be televised and overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy.
After the announcement, Democrats and many people online quickly began comparing the Patriot Games to The Hunger Games, the popular movie and book series where young people are forced to compete in deadly televised contests. While the real event is described as an athletic competition, the similarities were hard for many social media users to ignore.
Posts spread quickly across platforms, with people joking and criticizing the idea at the same time. Some wrote, “Bro just reinvented the hunger games,” while others said, “We got real life Hunger Games,” and “GETTING IRL HUNGER GAMES BEFORE GTA 6.” Another post read, “And the odds are in favor of whoever is the prediction market’s favorite,” while someone else added, “I swear this country is district 1.”
The Patriot Games were only one part of Trump’s larger vision for the 250th anniversary. In the same video, he also talked about building a new arch monument in Washington, D.C.
“We are the only major place without a triumphal arc. A beautiful triumphal arc, one like in Paris, where they have the great, a beautiful arc. They call it the Arc de Triomphe, and we’re going to have one in Washington, DC, very soon,” Trump said.
Trump also confirmed plans for a UFC fight to be held on the White House South Lawn on June 14, which is both Flag Day and his birthday.
“On Flag Day, we will have a one-of-a-kind UFC event here at the White House. It’ll be the greatest champion fighters in the world, all fighting that same night. The great Dana White is hosting, and it’s going to be something special,” he said.
According to reporting based on White House statements and federal agency actions, Trump has been deeply involved in shaping the 250th anniversary plans. Over the past year, his administration has moved to align federal funding with his celebration ideas.
The Department of Agriculture has taken on Trump’s Great American State Fair concept, which asks states to compete for the title of “most patriotic” fair. The White House has also launched a broad review of the Smithsonian Institution, pushing for exhibits tied to the 250th anniversary to focus more on national pride.
While the administration presents the Patriot Games as a celebration of youth, sports, and patriotism, the strong reaction online shows that many Americans see the event very differently. The Hunger Games comparisons continue to spread, keeping the announcement at the center of online debate.
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