One boy, one girl, 50 states: Trump’s ‘Patriot Games’ feel very Hunger Games

WEB DESK: US President Donald Trump’s plan to stage a nationwide athletic competition as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations has ignited widespread comparisons to The Hunger Games, with critics and commentators noting the striking similarities between the proposal and the dystopian fiction it appears to echo.

Under the plan, unveiled this week as part of the White House’s sweeping “Freedom 250” programme, the administration intends to host the first-ever “Patriot Games” in 2026, a four-day, televised athletic event bringing together one high school-aged boy and one girl from every US state and territory. Trump described the concept as “unprecedented,” promising a spectacle that would showcase “the greatest high school athletes” from across the country.

Almost immediately, the format drew online comparisons to The Hunger Games, the bestselling novels by Suzanne Collins, in which a boy and girl are selected from each district of a post-apocalyptic America to compete in a nationally televised contest. While Trump’s proposal does not involve violence or forced participation, critics say the symbolism of summoning minors from across the country to compete for national attention is uncomfortably reminiscent.

Trump, for his part, has embraced the cultural flashpoint rather than backing away from it. Announcing the event alongside other headline-grabbing plans—including a UFC fight on the White House lawn and a massive state fair on the National Mall—he pledged that the anniversary celebrations would be “the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen.”

The Patriot Games are being organised by “Freedom 250,” a White House-aligned group coordinating events from late June to mid-July 2026. Trump said the Games would be run by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., though details about selection criteria, specific events, and safeguards for participants remain unclear.

Adding to the controversy, Trump explicitly tied the competition to his administration’s stance on gender and sports, stating that there would be “no men playing in women’s sports”, a remark widely interpreted as targeting transgender athletes.

Beyond the Patriot Games, Freedom 250 includes plans for a national prayer gathering, a military-style parade honouring fallen soldiers, nightly fireworks, and a push for cultural institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution to promote what the administration calls “American exceptionalism.” The White House has also partnered with Hillsdale College on a video series titled The Story of America.

Supporters argue the Games will inspire unity, youth participation, and patriotic pride. Critics counter that the optics, particularly the competitive selection of teenagers on a national stage, underscore a growing tendency toward spectacle-driven politics. As one commentator noted, the idea may not involve a dystopian death match, but its Hunger Games-style framing has already ensured one thing: the Patriot Games will be watched closely, whether in admiration or alarm.