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Ex-president Trump has once again announced he would influence FIFA to remove global soccer tournament games from a designated city based on municipal politics, with the Boston region becoming the most recent targeted location to receive such threats from the American leader. Moreover, Trump remarked he would consider comparable measures against LA for the 2028 Olympics due to potential public safety risks.

Official Power and Potential Influence

Even though Trump lacks official jurisdiction to unilaterally remove either event, he can exert influence the respective governing bodies managing each tournament to shift venues.

Background of Comments

These remarks were made during a news conference with Javier Milei, who was present in the presidential residence following the revelation of a massive rescue package for the Argentine country. Toward the close of the event, a reporter asked Trump about a current public disturbance in Boston where police officers were attacked and a police vehicle was set on fire. The reporter also asked if such events could cause the revocation of tournament responsibilities for the larger football competition.

“I would take them away,” he said about the FIFA World Cup games, planned to be hosted at Gillette Stadium. “The city's leader is ineffective … she is extremist, and activists are occupying parts of downtown. That is a significant claim, isn't it?”

Public Gatherings and Public Safety Concerns

Public disruptions, a digitally organized occurrence where participants assemble on city streets during nighttime to conduct vehicular acrobatics, have been a frequent issue in American cities since the lockdown shutdowns. Current similar events have become aggressive in the region, including downtown. Yet, these events are generally not considered tied to any particular ideological group.

“In cases where a mayor is performing poorly, and I believe there’s dangerous circumstances, I'd call the FIFA head, who is excellent, and say we should relocate it to another location,” he commented on Tuesday. “He'd do that. He might not prefer doing it, but he would comply. Readily, he would.”

FIFA Relationship

The organization's head has made no secret his strategies to be visibly associated with the former president before the 2026 event, scheduled to be organized in numerous American venues across the America along with several in Canada and a few in Mexico. The head has been present at various Oval Office events, arranged for Trump present the FIFA club cup after the championship match, and has even rescheduled his the group's assembly to join Trump on a trip to the Gulf states earlier in 2025.

Past Statements

Despite this, Trump from suggesting the removal of soccer games from other US host cities. On September 25, the Washington city and San Francisco were parallel criticism, with Trump claiming both locations were “led by far-left extremists who lack understanding what they are doing,” while criticizing the public safety of both areas and claiming that games could be shifted.

FIFA Response

Victor Montagliani dismissed Trump’s statements when he responded days later at a gathering in London.

“It is our competition, under our authority, the organization determines such choices,” Montagliani said. “Respectfully to current world leaders, soccer is transcends any individual and football will endure their tenure and their policies. That’s the essence of football, that it is bigger than one leader and bigger than individual states.”

Olympics Threat

Similarly, Trump’s response to a question about Boston veered into a comparable warning regarding the LA Olympic event.

“When I thought the city was not adequately ready, I'd move it to a different city as needed,” he said. “Regarding that event I may have to get a different kind of permission, but we will proceed.”

Official consent Trump alluded to would have to come from the Olympic governing body. The president, the newly elected president, was elected to her position in this year and has so far not appear together with Trump, though she stated that she would like a sit-down with Trump at a future time.

Further Comments

The former president also criticized the state's leader Newsom’s management of recent LA wildfires, remarking that a comparable scenario could lead to the removal of the event.

“In case Newsom is uncooperative, we’re gonna have to be very tough,” the former president commented.

His message was similarly direct for the Massachusetts city.

“Boston better improve their situation,” Trump stated. “That’s all I can say.”