Trump Announces 'Patriot Games,' a D.C. Showdown Involving 1 Young Man and Woman from Every State and Territory

NEED TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump announced plans for what a youth athletic competition he's calling "Patriot Games"
• Trump said the games would take place in the U.S. capital and be part of a year-long celebration marking America's 250th birthday
• The fall competition will feature one young man and one young woman from every state and territory in the country, he said

President Donald Trump announced plans for an athletic competition to help celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary next year.

Trump, 79, announced his idea for the "Patriot Games" as part of "the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen" in a video shared by Freedom 250 on Thursday, Dec. 18.

"Already, we've had big celebrations to commemorate the 250th birthdays of the Army, the Navy and the United States Marines, but there is much, much more to come," he said. "We're going to have a good time."

Trump said the Patriot Games would take place in the fall, describing the competition as "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 added, "But I promise there will be no men playing in women's sports," in a reference to his administration's efforts to keep trans athletes from competing in sports corresponding to their gender. The president signed an executive order in February titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" attempting to ban trans women from competing on women's sports teams.

He added on Thursday, "You're not gonna see that. You'll see everything but that."

The official Freedom 250 website did not share much additional information about the Patriot Games beyond what Trump said in the video. The site shared, "From opening heats to the live final day in front of a live audience, these competitors will light the torch for a new generation of Americans."

The Patriot Games were not the only event Trump previewed on Thursday. He also announced plans for a state fair on the National Mall and “the largest fireworks display in the world," as well as a “National Garden of American Heroes” that will feature "statues of all-time greatest Americans," plus a “triumphal arc.”

Trump has previously teased his plans to host a UFC event at the White House as part of the country's birthday celebrations, and gave a bit more detail about the fight on Thursday.

“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," he said.

Trump spoke about his plans for the nation's milestone birthday while addressing a crowd at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 3. During his remarks, he announced that nationwide celebrations would take place "every one of our national parks, battlefields and historic sites."

The celebration, he said, would include "special events," including the UFC fight. Trump has a friendly relationship with UFC owner and CEO Dana White, who supported him at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

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"We’re going to build a little [octagon]. We’re not, Dana is going to do it. Dana is great, one of a kind," Trump said at the time. "[There's] going to be a UFC fight, championship fight, full fight, like 20,000 to 25,000 people, and we’re going to do that as part of ‘250’ also."

Trump shared earlier this month that the event would take place on June 14, 2026, and would feature between eight and nine championship fights, according to USA Today.

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