Trump announces ‘Patriot Games’ with 2 competitors from every state and territory: What we know

America’s 250th birthday is on July 4, 2026, and the White House is planning to go all out to celebrate, promoting new national events, such as the “Patriot Games,” that will anchor the yearlong festivities.

President Trump announced Thursday the launch of Freedom 250, “a national, non-partisan organization leading the Administration’s celebration” to “deliver the most extraordinary commemoration in American history,” according to a news release.

“These landmark events — spanning culture, faith, innovation, sports, and patriotism — will unite Americans across all 50 states and territories in honoring the nation’s past and launching the next chapter of American greatness,” the release says.

In a video announcement, Trump revealed plans for the Patriot Games, a competition of young athletes from around the country and U.S. territories.

“In the fall, 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,” Trump said.

The president previously spoke about the competition in July, saying it would be televised and led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Many social media users, including Democrats, have compared the Patriot Games to The Hunger Games, the popular dystopian book series by Suzanne Collins and movie franchise, where children are selected from across a futuristic nation to fight to the death in a televised event. It’s worth noting that Trump’s proposed Patriot Games do not actually expect competitors to fight to the death.

“I did not expect President Trump to make the Hunger Games real,” one X user posted on Thursday, along with a video of Trump’s announcement.

“I saw that ‘Patriot Games’ news and thought it was a joke. It is not,” another X user wrote on Thursday, with an accompanying GIF from the Hunger Games movie. “Next week Trump will announce The Long Walk,” the user continued, referring to a televised event in a Stephen King novel where teenage boys have to walk at a set pace or face deadly elimination.

Meanwhile, other users are excited about the Patriot Games.

“This is how you honor our country and American excellence,” Ryan Fournier, cofounder of Students for Trump, wrote on X Thursday. “This is going to be absolutely EPIC! 🇺🇸🔥”

In Trump’s video announcement, the president also talked about plans for an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight on the South Lawn of the White House, set to take place on Flag Day, June 14, which will also be his 80th birthday.

“On Flag Day, we will have a one-of-a-kind UFC event here at the White House. It’ll be the greatest champion fighters in the world, all fighting that same night. The great Dana White is hosting, and it’s going to be something special,” Trump said.

The president also announced that from June 25 through July 10, 2026, the Great American State Fair will be held on the National Mall. It will feature pavilions from all 50 states that “will showcase breathtaking innovation while celebrating America’s unique history, culture, and people,” according to Trump.

He also mentioned in the video that he plans to begin construction on a new arch monument in the nation’s capital.

“We are the only major place without a triumphal arc. A beautiful triumphal arc, one like in Paris, where they have the great, a beautiful arc. They call it the Arc de Triomphe, and we’re going to have one in Washington, D.C., very soon,” Trump said.

The Washington Monument will be illuminated with festive lights from Dec. 31, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026, to signal the start of the 250th birthday celebrations.