President Trump has once again suggested relocating World Cup matches from cities that he deems unsafe — this time, threatening to move games from Boston, one of 11 U.S. cities hosting the FIFA games next year.
Speaking from the Oval Office during his meeting with Argentina’s president on Tuesday, Trump’s remarks came in response to a reporter who asked him about Boston mayor Michelle Wu and the potential of relocating World Cup games from the city.
“We can take them away,” Trump said. “I love the people of Boston. I know the games are sold out, but your mayor is not good.” Referring to Wu, he added, “She’s intelligent … but she’s radical left.”
Trump then said, “they’re taking over parts of Boston,” without further explanation. He continued, “We could get them back in about two seconds. All she has to do is call us.”
It’s unclear who or what the president was referring to. The reporter, in their line of questioning, referred to “street takeovers” before asking about Boston.
Protestors last week clashed with police during pro-Palestinian demonstrations that turned violent near Boston Common, leading to multiple arrests. Boston prosecutors have since charged 13 protestors with felonies, suggesting the city is willing to come down hard on civil unrest as federal interventions in other Democrat-led cities continue.
Wu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Athletic.
Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will host seven World Cup matches next year. The stadium sits about 30 miles outside of Boston.
This is the second time Trump suggested he would relocate World Cup games next year from cities he deems unsafe. However, as The Athletic reported last month, the U.S. government had no official role in choosing World Cup host cities and does not have any explicit authority to relocate games.
Regardless, Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his perceived influence over the games, leaning into his close relationship with FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino.
“If I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni — the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal — and I would say, ‘let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that.” Trump said. “He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it very easily.”
FIFA, soccer’s governing body, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Athletic about Trump’s latest remarks.
The pair’s friendship is well-documented. Infantino was recently Trump’s guest at the Summit for Peace in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, and, last week, Infantino said “Trump definitely deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his decisive actions” in the Middle East.
In Trump’s comments about Boston, the president also suggested once again the possibility of relocating the Olympic Games from Los Angeles in 2028. Both Boston and Los Angeles are run by Democratic mayors, Wu in Boston and Karen Bass in L.A. When referring to the Olympics, Trump shared his disdain for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat and an outspoken critic of Trump, saying Newsom “has got to get his act together.”
Trump’s comments about relocating games from Boston came during his meeting with Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, as his administration moves forward with a 20 billion dollar bailout of the South American country, with apparent strings attached.
Trump’s response to the reporter’s brief question about Wu and World Cup games in Boston lasted less than four minutes, with a chunk of his response referring to Los Angeles’ response to the devastating wildfires that ravaged Southern California earlier this year.
Trump quickly reverted back to Boston, before taking one final question in the Oval Office. “Boston better clean up their act,” he said. “That’s all I can say.”
