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Donald Trump has once again stated he would urge FIFA to remove global soccer tournament games from a designated city based on that city's political climate, with the Boston region now being the third urban area to encounter such statements from the White House. Furthermore, Trump indicated he would consider parallel steps against LA for the upcoming Olympic Games due to possible safety issues.

Legal Authority and Informal Leverage

While Trump lacks direct legal authority to directly relocate either event, he is able to exert influence the respective governing bodies overseeing each competition to shift host cities.

Setting for Statements

These statements were made during a news conference with Argentinian president Milei, who was visiting the presidential residence following the announcement of a multibillion-dollar financial assistance for the South American economy. Toward the conclusion of the gathering, a reporter asked Trump about a current “street takeover” in downtown Boston where police officers were attacked and a patrol car was ignited. The reporter also questioned if the situation could lead to the removal of hosting duties for the 48-team soccer tournament.

“We could take them away,” he stated regarding the World Cup matches, set to be hosted at the Foxborough venue. “The city's leader is ineffective … she’s extremist, and they’re occupying areas of Boston. That is a pretty big assertion, right?”

Street Takeovers and Ideological Perceptions

Street takeovers, a digitally organized trend where groups of people gather on city streets after dark to perform stunts, have become a repeated issue in metropolitan centers since the coronavirus shutdowns. Recent incidents have escalated into violence in the state, including downtown. Yet, these events are generally not considered linked to any distinct partisan agenda.

“When someone is doing a bad job, and I believe there’s 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 publicly. “He'd do that. He might not prefer doing it, but he would comply. Without hesitation, he'd comply.”

Organizational Alignment

Gianni Infantino has publicly acknowledged his strategies to be visibly associated with the US leader before next year’s tournament, planned to be hosted in 11 cities across the US along with a couple in Canada and three in Mexico. The FIFA president has been present at multiple White House functions, facilitated Trump hand over the club tournament trophy after the championship match, and has even postponed his FIFA's internal meeting to join Trump on a visit to the Middle East earlier in 2025.

Past Statements

This has not stopped, Trump from threatening the removal of FIFA World Cup games from different locations. In late September, Seattle and San Francisco came under comparable criticism, with Trump stating both locations were “led by ideological activists who don’t know what they're managing,” while questioning the public safety of both areas and claiming that games could be removed.

Official Rebuttal

Victor Montagliani rejected Trump’s assertions when he responded days later at a conference in London.

“This is the organization's event, FIFA’s jurisdiction, we decide those decisions,” he stated. “Respectfully to current world leaders, soccer is transcends them and the game will survive their regime and their policies. It's the essence of football, that it is transcends a single person and more important than individual states.”

Olympics Threat

Similarly, Trump’s answer to a inquiry about Boston extended to a parallel statement regarding the upcoming Summer Games.

“When I thought Los Angeles was not going to be adequately ready, I will shift it to another location if I had to,” he remarked. “For the Olympics I might have to get a varying approval, but we would take that action.”

Any approval Trump mentioned would have to come from the Olympic governing body. Their leader, Kirsty Coventry, was chosen to her post in March and has so far not hold a public appearance with him, although she stated that she desires a sit-down with Trump at a future time.

Additional Criticism

The former president also condemned California governor Newsom’s handling of this year’s California fires, remarking that a comparable scenario could result in the removal of the Games.

“If the governor refuses to cooperate, we are going to have to be strict,” Trump commented.

His statement was just as direct for the Massachusetts city.

“They should improve their situation,” Trump stated. “It's I can say.”