Trump threatens to move World Cup matches from “unsafe” US cities

US President Donald Trump once again hinted at the possibility of withdrawing the 2026 World Cup matches from American cities that he claims are unsafe, in light of the escalation of his conflict with Democratic-led cities.

Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milley: “If someone is doing a bad job, if I feel there are unsafe conditions, I will call Gianni Infantino, the wonderful president of FIFA, and I will say to him, ‘Let’s move to another location.’ And he will do it. He may not like to do it, but he will do it very easily.”

Trump was responding to a reporter who asked him about Michelle Wu, the Democratic mayor of Boston.

Trump said of Wu: “I think she is hurting Boston,” and described her as a “far-left extremist.”

Regarding the possibility of moving World Cup matches away from the designated host city, Trump said: “If I think Boston is doing something that might cause safety issues for the World Cup… we will do it.”

America hosts the World Cup, which is held with the participation of 48 teams, along with Mexico and Canada.

America will host the matches in 11 locations: Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, New York/New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

Trump often cites higher crime rates in cities governed by Democrats, although independent analyzes show that violent crime rates have declined in many of those areas.

Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard in several Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, based on increasing crime rates and protests against US immigration raids.

Several states and cities appealed this decision before the courts, considering that it violates their sovereignty and sets a dangerous precedent for the use of internal military pressure.

The World Cup is run by FIFA, and it is not clear whether Trump has the authority to move the tournament matches to other locations or not.