Patriot Games is simply a fresh sporting event announced by the president of the United States as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the independency of the United States in 2026. Donald Trump announced "an unprecedented four-day sports competition involving top advanced school students – 1 boyfriend and 1 girl from each state and territory".
And that's the item that triggered an avalanche of associations. The network immediately began to compare Patriot Games to... "Hunger Games", that is, "The Games of Death" by Suzanne Collins – a cult series of youth novels (and films), in which dystopian power draws a boy and a girl from each territory all year to fight to death in a broadcast tournament.
Of course, these similarities end there. Patriot Games are expected to be athletics, not a violent fight for survival. But the net wouldn't be itself if it hadn't done the rest.
Donald Trump and The Hunger Games. The net remembered a meme from 10 years ago
Two days after Trump's plans were announced, Viralically, the meme returned almost 10 years ago. In March 2016, Twitter user (today X) @ericsmithrocks published a semi-absorbent imagination of a dystopia future: "2016: Trump will not win. 2017: president Donald Trump cannot do this... Right? 2018: Are you watching Death Games tonight? I hope my territory wins".
The author of the tweet is Eric Smith, a author and literary agent who published it in March 2016. Trump was then only 3 months after being sworn in for his first term, and any Americans feared the future under the command of a controversial millionaire.
Today, as Trump's second word continues, Smith's 2016 entry returns online like a prophetic vision. User Threads @dolphinsrkewl1996 released a screenshot with a comment: "Well, it looks like Eric was partially right erstwhile he predicted the Games of Death in 2016. The post collected over 1,600 likes.
He besides threw in his 3 cents erstwhile NBA basketball player Rod Benson, who wrote, "I have this meme written on the telephone since 2016 and only present this part of the Games of Death has come true". His entry besides rapidly became a viral.
Politicians besides joined the comparisons with "The Games of Death". California politician Gavin Newsom, for years criticizing Trump, commented on the announcement of Patriot Games with a quote from Suzanne Collins' book: "And let destiny always favour you.".
