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16th October 2025
12:40pm BST
Donald Trump has doubled down on his suggestion that he could strip select "Democratic cities" of the right to host World Cup matches and the 2028 Olympic games, over "safety concerns", per The Athletic.
The 79-year-old Republican leader has also implied that he could take away Los Angeles' status as the host of the 2028 Olympic Games
Speaking at the Oval office on Tuesday, Trump first threatened to remove Boston's status as World Cup host, before making remarks regarding the LA Olympic games.
"We can take them away,” Trump said.
Adding: “I love the people of Boston. I know the games are sold out, but your mayor [Democrat Michelle Wu] is not good. She’s intelligent … but she’s radical left.”
The president then went on to make the following unsubstantiated claim: "They’re taking over parts of Boston. We could get them back in about two seconds. All she has to do is call us.”
It is currently unclear which "they" Trump was referring to.
Also during the Oval office meeting, Trump went on to discuss the 2028 Olympics, saying: "If I thought LA was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location if I had to.
Los Angeles is also led by the Democratic mayor Karen Bass, while the state of California is governed by one of Trump's most vocal opponents, Gavin Newsom.
At the end of last month, when attending a climate conference in New York, Newsom described the president as "an abomination" and "a fraud,” when discussing Trump's position on global warming.
Speaking directly to his rival, Trump said Newsom “has got to get his act together, before adding: “On that one I’d probably have to get a different kind of a permission, but we would do that.”
Despite the fact that Trump has now repeated his threat to move both World Cup and Olympic games, there are serious questions as to whether he has the authority.
The US government has no official role in the selection of World Cup host cities.
It appears that the US leader would lean on his strong relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in order to make the changes he wants.
Trump confirmed this on Tuesday, saying: "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.”
Moving the Olympic games would be a different prospect altogether.
Permission would need to come from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president, Kirsty Coventry, who Trump is not currently believed to have met.
