Trump threatens to move World Cup games out of Boston over ‘unsafe conditions’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to "take away" the 2026 World Cup matches scheduled for Greater Boston if he thinks there are "unsafe conditions."
Trump made his remarks during a news conference at the White House, where he was asked about "street takeovers" in four Bay State communities , including one in South Boston that saw a Boston Police cruiser set alight.
"I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out," Trump said, according to The Boston Globe, referring to the matches that will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, which is nearly 30 miles south of Boston.
"But your mayor is not good," Trump said, referring to Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat who has clashed with the Republican White House over its hardline immigration policies.
"There are worse than her," Trump continued, according to the Globe. "At least she's intelligent."
Trump also called Wu "radical left" and said the street takeovers were "taking over parts of Boston," The Globe reported.
Even as Trump made his remarks, Massachusetts lawmakers were continuing with their preparations for the matches, one of a series of events that are slated to draw thousands of people to the state in 2026.
The majority-Democrat state House is slated to vote this week on a $2.25 billion year-end budget that funnels $10 million to World Cup support efforts, MassLive previously reported .
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that if "somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the head of FIFA, who's phenomenal -- and I would say, 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that," NBC-10 in Boston reported.
Trump was referring to FIFA head Gianni Infantino . He said Infantino "wouldn't love to do it, but he'd do it very easily," the station reported.
The Republican president made a similar comment in September, responding to a question about immigration and crime crackdowns.
Infantino has questioned whether Trump has the power to make such a move, the station reported
"It's FIFA's tournament, FIFA's jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions," the soccer body's vice president Victor Montagliani said in response to Trump's earlier comments, the station reported.
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