Trump Warns of Pulling of World Cup Games from Massachusetts, Olympics from California

Donald Trump has once again announced he would pressure FIFA to remove global soccer tournament matches from a host city based on that city's politics, with the Boston region now being the third urban area to face such warnings from the US president. Additionally, Trump remarked he would consider similar action against Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics due to perceived safety issues.

Official Power and Possible Pressure

Although Trump lacks official jurisdiction to unilaterally remove either competition, he can exert influence the international organizations managing each tournament to move host cities.

Background of Comments

His remarks were made during a news conference with Javier Milei, who was present in the presidential residence following the announcement of a $20 billion rescue package for the Argentine economy. Toward the conclusion of the meeting, a reporter questioned Trump about a recent unauthorized gathering in downtown Boston where police officers were attacked and a police vehicle was burned. The reporter also questioned if these incidents could cause the removal of hosting duties for the larger soccer tournament.

“It's possible to take them away,” Trump stated concerning the World Cup games, scheduled to be hosted at the Foxborough venue. “The city's leader is not good … she is radical left, and they’re occupying areas of the city. That is a major assertion, isn't it?”

Street Takeovers and Political Context

Unauthorized gatherings, a social media-driven trend where groups of people gather on urban roads during nighttime to conduct vehicular acrobatics, have been a repeated nuisance in American cities since the coronavirus restrictions. Recent such gatherings have become aggressive in Massachusetts, specifically in Boston. Yet, these events are generally not seen as tied to any specific ideological group.

“If a city is failing, and I feel there are dangerous circumstances, I would call the organization's president, who is phenomenal, and say it should be shifted to another location,” he said on Tuesday. “And he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it. Readily, he would.”

Organizational Alignment

The organization's head has been open his strategies to be visibly associated with Trump before the 2026 event, planned to be hosted in numerous American venues across the US along with several in Canada and a few in Mexico. The FIFA president has participated at multiple presidential events, had Trump present the FIFA club trophy after that tournament’s final, and has even rescheduled his the group's assembly to join Trump on a trip to the Gulf states this year.

Earlier Warnings

Despite this, Trump from suggesting the removal of FIFA World Cup matches from different locations. In late September, Seattle and the Bay Area metropolis faced comparable comments, with Trump claiming both urban centers were “run by far-left extremists who don’t know what they are doing,” while criticizing the safety level of both cities and implying that games could be shifted.

Organizational Statement

The organization's deputy Montagliani dismissed Trump’s statements when he responded afterward at a gathering in London.

“It’s the organization's event, our responsibility, we decide those decisions,” the vice-president stated. “Politely to current world leaders, soccer is transcends them and soccer will survive their tenure and their government. That’s the beauty of this sport, that it is more significant than a single person and beyond a nation.”

LA Games Warning

During the event, Trump’s answer to a question about the Massachusetts city veered into a comparable warning regarding the LA Olympic event.

“If I believed Los Angeles was failing to be prepared properly, I would move it to a different city if I had to,” he said. “For the Olympics I might have to get a alternative permission, but we will proceed.”

Official consent Trump alluded to would have to come through the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The head, Kirsty Coventry, was chosen to her position in March and has not yet meet publicly with the former president, although she indicated that she would like a discussion with the US figure at some point.

Other Remarks

Trump also condemned the state's leader Newsom’s management of the blazes, saying that a comparable scenario could result in the cancellation of the Olympics.

“If the governor doesn’t play ball, we are going to have to be firm,” Trump commented.

The warning was similarly direct for the Massachusetts city.

“They must address these issues,” he remarked. “That’s all I will say.”