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Ex-president Trump has yet again stated he would pressure FIFA to remove global soccer tournament matches from a designated city based on the local political climate, with Boston becoming the latest urban area to face such warnings from the US president. Additionally, Trump remarked he would evaluate similar action against Southern California for the 2028 Olympics due to possible public safety risks.

Jurisdictional Limits and Informal Leverage

While Trump lacks official jurisdiction to unilaterally remove either competition, he is able to exert influence the respective governing bodies managing each tournament to move host cities.

Setting for Statements

These remarks were made during a press event with Javier Milei, who was visiting the White House following the revelation of a massive bailout for the South American country. At the close of the meeting, a media member asked Trump about a recent unauthorized gathering in downtown Boston where law enforcement were attacked and a cruiser was set on fire. The journalist also wondered if these incidents could cause the revocation of tournament responsibilities for the larger World Cup.

“It's possible to take them away,” he said regarding the soccer fixtures, planned to be hosted at the Massachusetts arena. “The city's leader is not good … she is radical left, and they are occupying parts of the city. That’s a significant claim, isn't it?”

Public Gatherings and Political Context

Public disruptions, a online-fueled phenomenon where participants congregate on city streets during nighttime to perform stunts, have become a frequent nuisance in US urban areas since the coronavirus shutdowns. Recent such gatherings have escalated into violence in Massachusetts, including downtown. Yet, these events are generally not regarded as associated with any particular partisan agenda.

“In cases where someone is doing a bad job, and I believe there’s dangerous circumstances, I would call Gianni [Infantino], who is excellent, and say we should relocate it to an alternate venue,” he said during the event. “He will do that. He might not prefer the action, but he'd agree. Readily, he’d do it.”

Organizational Alignment

FIFA President has made no secret his attempts to be publicly aligned with the former president prior to the 2026 event, set to be hosted in multiple US locations across the America along with several in the northern neighbor and a few in Mexico. The FIFA president has appeared at several presidential gatherings, arranged for Trump hand over the FIFA club cup after the championship match, and has even delayed his FIFA's internal meeting to travel with Trump on a journey to the Arab region earlier in 2025.

Previous Threats

Despite this, Trump from threatening the removal of FIFA World Cup matches from additional American venues. Recently, Seattle and San Francisco were parallel statements, with Trump asserting both cities were “led by radical left lunatics who lack understanding what they are doing,” while criticizing the security conditions of both locales and claiming that games could be relocated.

Official Rebuttal

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

“It’s our competition, our responsibility, we decide these matters,” the vice-president said. “With all due respect to sitting presidents, football is more important than them and football will outlast their tenure and their leadership. That’s the essence of our game, that it is bigger than one leader and beyond individual states.”

Olympics Threat

On Tuesday, Trump’s answer to a inquiry about the Massachusetts city extended to a similar threat regarding the LA Olympic event.

“If I thought Los Angeles was not adequately ready, I will shift it to an alternate venue if necessary,” Trump stated. “On that one I’d probably have to secure a different kind of consent, but we will do that.”

The permission Trump alluded to would must come through the Olympic governing body. Their leader, Kirsty Coventry, was selected to her position in March and has not yet appear together with Trump, but she said that she would like a meeting with him at a future time.

Further Comments

He also questioned the state's leader Newsom’s handling of recent LA wildfires, remarking that a comparable scenario could cause the cancellation of the event.

“If he doesn’t play ball, we’re gonna have to be very tough,” Trump said.

His statement was similarly clear for the Massachusetts city.

“Boston should improve their situation,” he remarked. “That’s all my message.”