Donald Trump reveals unusual athletic competition as netizens wonder if this is the Hunger Games

Ahead of America's 250th anniversary of independence, President Donald Trump vows to make the celebration as special as possible. In a pre-recorded video posted online to YouTube on Thursday, President Trump announced plans to mark the United States' 250th anniversary in 2026.

He unveiled a series of events for the milestone, promising what he described as "the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen." Among the planned festivities is a new nationwide sports event called the "Patriot Games," which has swiftly drawn online comparisons to the dystopian book and movie series The Hunger Games, according to the Daily Mail.

He described the Patriot Games as “an unprecedented 4-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes.” He plans to host the event in the fall, with one young man and one young woman from each state and territory competing. He emphasized that no boys would compete in girls’ sports, echoing his previous statements on transgender athletes in school sports.

Here's what he said in the video that made netizens compare it directly to the Hunger Games movie and book.

"In the fall, we will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented 4-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory. But I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports. You’re not going to see that. You’ll see everything but that."

After hearing this, online criticism and mockery started. Social media users began comparing the Patriot Games to The Hunger Games, saying that just like in the story where a dictator chose young athletes for a televised event celebrating the “nation’s revolution,” something similar seemed to be happening in America. 

Neitizens and critics compared Patriot Games to The Hunger Games

After the news broke, the official X page of The Democrats shared a clip from The Hunger Games, accompanied by a caption featuring a dialogue from the film.

"And so it was decreed that, each year, the various districts of Panem would offer up, in tribute, one young man and woman to fight to the death in a pageant of honor, courage and sacrifice."

The similarity lies in the phrase “one young man and one young woman” and the selection process from multiple regions, as seen in “various districts” in The Hunger Games, and “each state and territory” in Trump’s announcement. In the movie, this setup forms part of a fictional narrative where young people are chosen to battle in a deadly contest. Trump’s proposal echoes that concept, transforming the idea of selecting young competitors from different regions into a real-world event with the Patriot Games.

On social media, users joked that the only thing missing from the Patriot Games compared to The Hunger Games was “fighting to the death.”

One user said, “Are they fighting to the death? If so where can I watch and how much will it cost?”

Another user wrote, “OMGGGGG ITS JUST LIKE THE MOOVIE GOYS LOOK WE ARE LIKE INSIDE THE MOVIE I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.”

Global Index wrote, ''He finna send them to hunger games'' 

''Didn’t have the hunger games on my 2025 bingo card but here we are,'' wrote Love, Danny.

Dr.K wrote, ''Holy sh*t we’re actually starting the prequel to Hunger Games''