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Ex-president Trump has yet again declared he would pressure FIFA to pull 2026 World Cup games from a designated city based on the local political climate, with Boston now being the most recent such city to face such warnings from the US president. Additionally, Trump indicated he would contemplate comparable measures against LA for the upcoming Olympic Games due to potential public safety risks.

Legal Authority and Possible Pressure

While Trump does not have formal power to personally cancel either tournament, he is able to lobby the respective governing bodies in charge of each competition to move host cities.

Context of Remarks

The comments were made during a press event with Javier Milei, who was present in the White House following the announcement of a multibillion-dollar bailout for the South American economy. Toward the close of the meeting, a media member questioned Trump about a recent unauthorized gathering in the city where law enforcement were assaulted and a cruiser was ignited. The correspondent also questioned if such events could cause the loss of organizing rights for the larger soccer tournament.

“I would take them away,” the former president remarked concerning the soccer games, set to be held at the Massachusetts arena. “Their mayor is not good … they're extremist, and they are occupying sections of Boston. That is a pretty big assertion, right?”

Street Takeovers and Ideological Perceptions

Street takeovers, a digitally organized trend where groups of people congregate on city streets late at night to engage in dangerous driving, have become a ongoing issue in metropolitan centers since the lockdown shutdowns. Latest incidents have become aggressive in the region, specifically in downtown. Nevertheless, these occurrences are generally not seen as tied to any particular ideological group.

“When a city is failing, and I feel there’s dangerous circumstances, I will call the organization's president, who is phenomenal, and suggest it should be shifted to another location,” he stated during the event. “He'd do that. He might not prefer to do it, but he’d do it. Without hesitation, he would.”

Organizational Alignment

Gianni Infantino has made no secret his strategies to be visibly associated with Trump ahead of the upcoming World Cup, scheduled to be hosted in numerous American venues across the United States along with a couple in the northern neighbor and a few in Mexico. The organization's leader has appeared at various presidential functions, arranged for Trump deliver the FIFA club award after the championship match, and has even delayed his FIFA's internal meeting to travel with Trump on a visit to the Middle East previously.

Past Statements

Nevertheless, Trump from warning about the cancellation of World Cup events from additional American venues. Recently, Seattle and San Francisco came under comparable statements, with Trump asserting both urban centers were “led by far-left extremists who lack understanding what they’re doing,” while challenging the safety level of both cities and suggesting that games could be shifted.

Official Rebuttal

The organization's deputy Montagliani rebuffed Trump’s claims when he responded subsequently at a event in London.

“It is FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, we decide such choices,” he stated. “Respectfully to current world leaders, the sport is bigger than any individual and the game will outlast their regime and their government. It's the beauty of this sport, that it is bigger than a single person and beyond any country.”

Olympics Threat

During the event, Trump’s reply to a query about Boston veered into a comparable warning regarding the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“If I believed LA was not adequately ready, I'd relocate it to an alternate venue as needed,” Trump stated. “Regarding that event I might have to get a varying approval, but we'd do that.”

The permission Trump mentioned would need to come from the IOC. The head, Kirsty Coventry, was elected to her role in spring and has yet to meet publicly with him, although she indicated that she desires a discussion with the US figure at some point.

Further Comments

He also condemned California governor Newsom’s response of this year’s blazes, saying that a similar situation could result in the relocation of the event.

“When Newsom is uncooperative, we are going to have to be firm,” Trump stated.

The warning was similarly unambiguous for the Massachusetts city.

“The city better clean up their act,” he said. “That’s all my message.”