Trump compared to fictional dictator in scathing post from Gavin Newsom Press Office

Donald Trump has found himself compared to a fictional dictator by the press office of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

A viral post to the Governor Newsom Press Office X account had an image of Trump, screenshot from a recent announcement video, contrast with that of President Snow from The Hunger Games series. The comparison was made just hours after Trump announced his plans for a "patriotic" competition that had many compare it to the dystopian fiction series written by Suzanne Collins.

In a video posted by Freedom 250 on Thursday, the president promised "to give America the most spectacular birthday party the world." He said, "In the fall, we will host the first-ever Patriot Games, an unprecedented four-day athletic event featuring the greatest high school athletes, one young man and one young woman from each state and territory."

Members of the public and political representatives were quick to point out the comparison between Trump's "Patriot Games" and the fictional "Hunger Games".

An image posted by the Governor Newsom Press Office had a picture of Trump and President Snow, the latter portrayed by Donald Sutherland, as a side by side comparison. Using a quote from The Office, the image depicted the two presidents and asked viewers to "find the differences between this picture and this picture."

Underneath the first image is a picture of Pam from The Office, who says, "They're the same picture." Governor Newsom also weighed in on the announcement of the Patriot Games, sharing a post from The Hunger Games film adaptation.

Sharing the clip, he added, "May the odds be ever in your favor." It comes after Trump's disaster of a national address, which has been roundly criticised by political pundits.

CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes told viewers on Thursday that the Republican Party may be scrambled by the address.

She said, "Look, they're all watching everything closely, and they've seen how it's been reviewed. I will say one thing. The White House worked together as a team, as they often do the inner circle to craft this speech. And they needed a speech in which President Trump would stay on message, that was short, that addressed the economy."

"Republicans came out of that speech more anxious that the messaging around the economy was not where it should be going into 2026, and that the party as a whole was not really solidified in that messaging about the economy, especially when it came to all of this blame on the previous administration."