The former president Threatens Pulling of World Cup Games from the Boston area, Olympics from Los Angeles
Former President Trump has repeatedly declared he would pressure FIFA to pull upcoming World Cup games from a venue based on that city's political climate, with Boston now being the most recent such city to receive such warnings from the White House. Moreover, Trump indicated he would evaluate similar action against LA for the 2028 Olympics due to perceived security concerns.
Official Power and Potential Influence
While Trump lacks formal power to directly relocate either event, he may lobby the international organizations overseeing each tournament to change host cities.
Context of Remarks
These statements were made during a press event with Javier Milei, who was visiting the executive mansion following the revelation of a $20 billion financial assistance for the Argentine nation. Near the conclusion of the gathering, a journalist asked Trump about a recent unauthorized gathering in the city where police officers were targeted and a patrol car was burned. The correspondent also wondered if such events could cause the removal of hosting duties for the 48-team soccer tournament.
“It's possible to take them away,” he remarked regarding the World Cup matches, set to be held at the Massachusetts arena. “She is poor … they're radical left, and they’re occupying parts of downtown. That’s a significant assertion, isn't it?”
Street Takeovers and Public Safety Concerns
Public disruptions, a digitally organized phenomenon where groups of people gather on public avenues after dark to conduct vehicular acrobatics, have been a ongoing issue in metropolitan centers since the lockdown closures. Current such gatherings have escalated into violence in the region, including downtown. However, these events are usually not considered linked to any particular partisan agenda.
“If someone is failing, and I feel exist security risks, I would call the FIFA head, who is outstanding, and tell him we should relocate it to an alternate venue,” he said during the event. “He'd do that. He wouldn’t love doing it, but he’d do it. Very easily, he’d do it.”
Organizational Alignment
Gianni Infantino has made no secret his strategies to be closely connected with the former president prior to the 2026 event, scheduled to be hosted in numerous American venues across the United States along with two in Canada and three in Mexico. The FIFA president has appeared at several Oval Office events, arranged for Trump present the club tournament cup after the championship match, and has even delayed his FIFA's internal meeting to accompany Trump on a trip to the Middle East this year.
Past Statements
Nevertheless, Trump from warning about the removal of FIFA World Cup matches from different locations. In late September, Seattle and the Bay Area metropolis faced similar comments, with Trump stating both urban centers were “run by ideological activists who don’t know what they're managing,” while questioning the security conditions of both locales and suggesting that events could be removed.
FIFA Response
The organization's deputy Montagliani dismissed Trump’s statements when he responded afterward at a gathering in England.
“It’s the organization's event, under our authority, we decide such choices,” the vice-president stated. “With all due respect to national heads, the sport is transcends political figures and football will outlast their regime and their government. It's the strength of our game, that it is more significant than a single person and more important than any country.”
LA Games Warning
Similarly, Trump’s response to a inquiry about Boston included a comparable warning regarding the LA Olympic event.
“If I believed the city was not going to be prepared properly, I'd relocate it to another location as needed,” Trump stated. “On that one I’d probably have to get a varying permission, but we would take that action.”
The permission Trump refers to would have to come through the Olympic governing body. Their head, she, was elected to her role in March and has yet to appear together with Trump, although she said that she would like a sit-down with the US figure at some point.
Other Remarks
Trump also condemned the state's leader Newsom’s handling of this year’s blazes, stating that a parallel incident could result in the removal of the Games.
“In case Newsom refuses to cooperate, we are going to have to be strict,” Trump said.
The warning was equally clear for the Massachusetts city.
“The city should clean up their act,” Trump stated. “It's my message.”
