Hunger Games Comparisons Arise for US 250th Anniversary Event

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0bYkKd2dBYPresident Donald Trump just announced an athletic event to celebrate the US’s 250th anniversary that sounds eerily similar to that of the Hunger Games. The name does vary, though; it’s the Patriot Games.

Trump’s “epic” announcement was shared by FOX 5 Washington DC. To celebrate America250 in 2026, the Patriot Games, a four-day athletic event, will take place during the fall. In them, two high school athletes from each state, a man and a woman, will participate in this “unprecedented” competition, Trump said.

The President promised that the Patriot Games would not feature “men playing in women’s sports,” adding, “You’re not going to see that. You’ll see everything but that!“

While the announcement was short, its effect on online discourse, especially due to the current political zeitgeist, was profound. To many, the Patriot Games are almost a carbon copy of the dystopian Hunger Games, created by Suzanne Collins.

In the novel, a boy and a girl from the 12 districts of the fictional Panem are selected via a reaping to participate in the games. This battle royale event has the 12 pairs fighting to survive in a televised deathmatch to keep the population subjugated.

Users online were quick to point out the similarities between the Patriot Games and the Hunger Games. X user Andre LaSane was surprised that the announcement was a joke. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and they theorized, jokingly, that Trump would follow it up with The Long Walk, referencing the Stephen King dystopian book.

Podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen shared a photo of Trump alongside a screenshot of the Hunger Games movie adaptation.

Fair Fight Action Communications Director Max Flugrath said that the creation of the Patriot Games was not the most Hunger Games thing Trump has done as president. He called Trump’s administration a totalitarian regime.

Finally, filmmaker TizzyEnt was shocked by the announcement, saying that Trump still makes him speechless. He also suggested that Suzanne Collins should sue the President for copyright infringement.

Other than the Patriot Games, President Donald Trump also announced that the Washington Monument will be lit up on January 5 as the first chapter of the US’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Additionally, a prayer event will be held on the National Mall in the spring, a UFC fight will happen at the White House, the National Mall will house the Great American State Fair from June 25 to July 10, and Trump will host the “Salute to America” on July 4, 2026.