President Donald Trump announced a 2026 athletic even he dubbed the “Patriot Games” on Thursday and everyone’s paging Suzanne Collins. If you forgot, that’s the author of the dystopian sci-fi series The Hunger Games, which also involves taking one girl and one boy from each region for a physical contest of sorts.
It’s impossible not to draw comparisons to the hit franchise about capitalistic spectacle and oppressing the poor.
The Patriot Games
In an Oval Office message on the “Freedom 250” event he’s promising to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S., Trump unintentionally parodied Collins’ work.
“We will host the first ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes—one young man and one young woman from each state and territory,” he said.
Of course, he had to use the opportunity to once again attack trans women.
“But I promise there will be no men playing in women’s sports,” he added. ”You’re not going to see that. You’ll see everything but that.”
The official Freedom 250 website echoes Trump’s reveal, claiming that the event will celebrate “excellence, teamwork, and American pride.”
“Is he trying to reheat my nachos”
Across X and other social media platforms, everyone not born yesterday made Hunger Games jokes. As far as anyone knows, the high school kids from each state will not battle to the death, but there are still plenty of similarities to harp on.
President Snow parody accounts are on this like white on Trump administration members.
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