Donald Trump may have oversold the promise that the Patriot Games would be a must-see spectacle.
The competition recruited one female and one male student-athlete from each state, ages 14 to 17, to compete in the three-day gantlet of events at the SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
It was organized as part of the president and the Freedom 250 organization’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
Teens began competing on Aug. 9 for two $125,000 scholarships.
Trump loves an opportunity to brag about being the “first” to pull off a feat, but the Patriot Games fell low on his list of activities to promote.
By the time people noticed Freedom 250’s posts showcasing the circuits, the games had already been declared a flop.
One person ripped the competition by writing, “Another Disaster for OLD Repulsive Lumpy trump!” A second individual quipped, “The inaugural event will be the last….. lol.”
In the December announcement, Trump bragged the games would be “an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes.”
Social media users are not entirely sure that is the case after witnessing the display of “athleticism.”
Several snapshots showed competitors jumping over hurdles with improper form, and others showed girls braced before being struck out during a dodgeball.
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“Photos from the Freedom 250 Patriot Games are, ironically, exactly how I envisioned this event,” an IG Threads user wrote, setting off a flood of criticism.
“I just saw a comment that said the Patriot Games is PE for homeschooled kids and I can’t stop laughing,” read another reaction.
Several people hated to ridicule the teens. They commented things like “I don’t want to make fun of kids so I’m going to make fun of the adults that put them in this situation. Why would you do this to your child?”
The observations nosedived when viewers zoomed in on the empty spaces where spectators should have been.
“Are there ZERO fans there?!? Family? No one?,” a viewer wondered. “This whole Freedom 250 thing is a national embarrassment. F—king Trump. Everything he touches goes to hell.”
Another person typed, “Is this a dress rehearsal because there is no audience whatsoever.”
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Trump faced similar mockery during the 16-day Great American State Fair on the National Mall.
The park can accommodate more than 450,000 visitors; however, crowds only surfaced on the two days Trump spoke.
Even worse, the Patriot Games photos mirrored complaints about the administration’s presumed anti-diversity agenda.
Several people remarked, “Something seems off. Can’t qWhite put my finger on it” after noticing only a handful of Black and brown kids were included.
A detractor stated, “This is NOT what America looks like! There is zero diversity in this competition – what an embarrassment.”
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that Trump would attend the final day, Aug. 11, as humiliating responses flooded timelines.
However, the tactic to boost support for the games backfired. People taunted Leavitt in the comments by asking, “Is someone going to keep him awake during the games?”
Others mocked Trump’s secret exit from Air Force One to board another aircraft during his July trip home from Turkey. A heckler asked, “Will they be using catering trucks to shuttle him in?” alluding to the covert getaway.
The final Freedom 250 event is the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington. The IndyCar race takes place Aug. 23. Drivers will speed along Pennsylvania Avenue and around monuments on the 1.7 mile course.
