TJ Madsen is among the founding members of the New Herald Tribune and chairs the editorial board. He worked for national syndicated newspapers in Newark, Philadelphia, and Baltimore before moving to the midwest.
December 19 , 2025
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday announced what he called “The Patriot Games,” a new nationwide competition that will pit teenage representatives from twelve Democratic-run cities against one another in a mixed martial arts tournament staged in the White House Rose Garden.
According to the president, the competition will feature one boy and one girl, ages 16 to 18, from each selected city. The event’s winner, Trump said, will secure “a full year of expanded SNAP benefits” for their community, referring to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“This is about pride, about showing which city produces the toughest, most resilient young people,” Trump said during a press briefing held in the East Room. “We’re giving these communities a chance to fight for something real — literally.”
The cities reportedly invited to participate include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Portland, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Each mayor’s office received an official notice earlier this week from the Department of Health and Human Services, which Trump said will oversee the administration of the prizes “in full compliance with federal law.”
White House officials provided limited details on the logistics but said the competition will be “fully sanctioned, medically supervised, and broadcast to the American people.”
Officials have not confirmed when the tournament will take place, though Trump hinted at an early summer kickoff “right after the Fourth of July celebrations.”
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