Trump Announces 'Patriot Games'

Critics quickly compared Freedom 250 event to Hunger Games
Posted Dec 19, 2025 4:57 AM CST
Trump Unveils 'Patriot Games' for Nation's 250th Birthday
President Trump speaks during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump on Thursday unveiled the "Patriot Games," a four-day athletic competition for top high school athletes from every US state and territory, to be hosted by the White House next fall as part of the nation's 250th birthday celebrations. In a video released by Freedom 250, a new administration-backed group organizing the anniversary events, Trump said the contest will feature "one young man and one young woman from each state and territory," CNN reports.

Trump has previously said the event will be televised and overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. Critics quickly compared the concept to The Hunger Games, the dystopian series in which teenagers battle to the death in a televised arena. California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted a clip from the series, the Hill reports. In the video, Trump also discussed his plans for a new monument in the capital. "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," he said, per CNN. "They call it the Arc de Triomphe, and we're going to have one in Washington, DC, very soon."

Trump also spoke about his plans for a UFC event on the White House South Lawn scheduled for June 14—his birthday and Flag Day—promising "the greatest champion fighters in the world." Other events sponsored by Freedom 250 will include a national prayer event and a "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall, USA Today reports. Separate events will be hosted by America250, a bipartisan organization established by the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016.

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