President Donald Trump’s newly announced “Patriot Games” prompted a wave of comparisons to The Hunger Games from prominent Democrats on Thursday.
Why It Matters
The United States will mark its 250th anniversary in 2026, and Trump said the “Patriot Games” will be part of those celebrations. Democrats quickly likened the concept to The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series in which a divided nation forces “districts” to send a boy and a girl to compete in a deadly televised spectacle.
What to Know
Trump introduced the “Patriot Games” as part of Freedom 250, the group organizing the country’s 250th-birthday events.
“In the fall, we will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic events featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory,” Trump said in a video announcing the event. He added: “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.”
Reaction and Comparisons
Several of Trump’s critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, drew parallels to The Hunger Games based on the idea of selecting one male and one female participant from each state or territory. Beyond that selection format, the similarities appear limited: The Hunger Games centers on a lethal contest, while Trump’s event is described as a conventional athletic competition.
Newsom responded on X with: “May the odds be ever in your favor,” a quote from The Hunger Games.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, posted a photograph of President Snow—the authoritarian figure overseeing the fictional games—on X.
Representative Delia Ramirez, an Illinois Democrat, also criticized the announcement, writing: “A competition between teenagers created by authoritarians to distract the people from their brutality and corruption? What could possibly go wrong? If only there were a book that told us exactly what happens next.”
Democratic commentator Brian Tyler Cohen wrote on X: “We asked for affordable health care and Republicans are giving us the Hunger Games.”
The White House fired back on X, arguing: “Of course Democrats hate this — it doesn’t involve confused men stealing medals from women and calling it ‘equality.’ Celebrating elite young men and women who earn their recognition through hard work and talent is what real patriotism looks like.”
Others also dismissed the comparisons. Andrew Follett, a Club for Growth analyst, wrote on X: “Libs be like: ‘The Hunger Games is when kids are athletes!’”
What People Are Saying
Journalist Peter Rothpletz wrote on X: “i knew we were in late-stage capitalism, but i didn’t realize we were in HUNGER GAMES late-stage capitalism.”
Jeremiah Johnson, co-founder of the Center for New Liberalism, wrote on X: “Everybody’s saying this is the Hunger Games, but in reality it’s just going to be a much s***tier version of a Mr Beast video.”
Ryan Fournier, co-founder of Students for Trump, praised the idea in a post on X: “President Trump just announced the ‘Patriot Games’ to celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary! It’s going to be a four-day athletic event featuring one man and one one woman from every single state and U.S. territory. This is how you honor our country and American excellence.”
What Happens Next
The Patriot Games are expected to be held next year, with additional details to be released later.
