Trump Announces Patriot Games for 250th Anniversary

President Donald Trump announced plans Thursday for the Patriot Games, a four-day athletic competition featuring top high school athletes from across the United States, as part of nationwide celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026.

In a YouTube video message, Trump described the event, set for the fall, as an unprecedented gathering of "the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory." The initiative, he said, aims to "renew the patriotism, pride, and pioneering spirit of America and lay the groundwork for the next 250 years of independence and freedom." Trump emphasized that the competition would exclude men from women's sports, stating, "But I promise there will be no men playing in women's sports. You're not going to see that. You'll see everything but that."

The Patriot Games form one element of a broader series of festivities organized under the Freedom 250 public-private partnership, which collaborates with states, companies, and organizations to coordinate events throughout 2026. Trump outlined additional highlights, including the illumination of the Washington Monument with festive...