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A real-life Hunger Games might not have been in anyone's 2025 bingo card, but President Donald Trump is here to change that.
On Thursday, December 18, Trump said that the White House will host the "Patriot Games", a four-day athletic event featuring one man and one woman high school athlete from each state and territory.
The unprecedented event would take place to mark the celebration of the US's 250th anniversary next year.
Netizens were quick to compare the youth athletic competition to The Hunger Games, a dystopian young adult novel and a renowned film franchise, where children from different districts are forced to fight to death, as the rich enjoy the horrific games as part of their entertainment.
The online reaction to the Patriot Games video announcement from Freedom 250 saw users drawing parallels between Trump and President Snow, the antagonist of The Hunger Games, who ruled Panem using fear, violence and propaganda.
Expressing their bewilderment, one user on X penned, "DID HE JUST ANNOUNCE THE HUNGER GAMES."
"I knew we were in late-stage capitalism, but I didn't realize we were in *HUNGER GAMES* late-stage capitalism," another X post read.
Another idea for the 250th anniversary celebration was a UFC fight on the South Lawn.
Trump shared earlier this month that the event would take place on June 14, 2026, and would feature eight to nine championship fights.
