Donald Trump Warns of Relocation of World Cup Games from the Boston area, Olympic Games from LA

Donald Trump has repeatedly announced he would urge FIFA to remove upcoming World Cup games from a host city based on municipal politics, with the Boston region becoming the most recent such city to encounter such threats from the White House. Additionally, Trump remarked he would consider similar action against LA for the 2028 Summer Games due to potential public safety risks.

Official Power and Informal Leverage

Even though Trump holds no direct legal authority to directly relocate either event, he can lobby the organizing committees overseeing each event to shift locations.

Setting for Statements

The comments were made during a media briefing with Argentinian president Milei, who was visiting the executive mansion following the announcement of a multibillion-dollar financial assistance for the South American nation. Near the end of the meeting, a journalist questioned Trump about a current unauthorized gathering in downtown Boston where authorities were assaulted and a police vehicle was set on fire. The correspondent also asked if the situation could result in the removal of tournament responsibilities for the larger World Cup.

“We could take them away,” the former president said regarding the World Cup matches, scheduled to be hosted at the Massachusetts arena. “She is poor … they're extremist, and they’re dominating areas of downtown. That’s a pretty big assertion, isn't it?”

Urban Disturbances and Ideological Perceptions

Public disruptions, a social media-driven occurrence where participants assemble on urban roads during nighttime to conduct vehicular acrobatics, have emerged as a ongoing problem in American cities since the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Recent such gatherings have turned violent in the state, specifically in Boston. Nevertheless, these events are typically not considered linked to any distinct partisan agenda.

“If a city is doing a bad job, and I believe exist security risks, I will call the organization's president, who is outstanding, and tell him we should relocate it to a different city,” he commented on Tuesday. “He will do that. He might not prefer the action, but he'd agree. Without hesitation, he'd comply.”

Organizational Alignment

FIFA President has been open his strategies to be publicly aligned with the former president before the upcoming World Cup, scheduled to be hosted in multiple US locations across the America along with several in the northern neighbor and a few in Mexico. The organization's leader has participated at various presidential functions, facilitated Trump deliver the Club World Cup trophy after the concluding game, and has even delayed his the group's assembly to accompany Trump on a journey to the Gulf states earlier in 2025.

Previous Threats

Nevertheless, Trump from suggesting the cancellation of FIFA World Cup matches from other US host cities. On September 25, the Washington city and San Francisco came under comparable comments, with Trump stating both urban centers were “run by ideological activists who lack understanding what they are doing,” while criticizing the safety level of both locales and suggesting that matches could be relocated.

Official Rebuttal

FIFA vice-president Montagliani dismissed Trump’s claims when he reacted subsequently at a gathering in England.

“It is our competition, FIFA’s jurisdiction, we decide such choices,” he declared. “Politely to national heads, soccer is more important than them and the game will endure their administration and their policies. It's the essence of football, that it is bigger than one leader and beyond any country.”

2028 Comments

On Tuesday, Trump’s answer to a question about the Massachusetts city veered into a similar threat regarding the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“When I thought LA was not adequately ready, I'd shift it to another location as needed,” he said. “On that one I may have to secure a alternative approval, but we will take that action.”

The permission Trump mentioned would need to come via the Olympic governing body. The president, Kirsty Coventry, was selected to her post in March and has not yet meet publicly with him, though she said that she would like a discussion with him at some point.

Other Remarks

He also condemned Gavin Newsom’s response of this year’s LA wildfires, stating that a parallel incident could cause the removal of the event.

“In case the governor is uncooperative, we are going to have to be very tough,” Trump stated.

His statement was similarly unambiguous for Boston.

“The city should clean up their act,” Trump stated. “That’s all I will say.”