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Ex-president Trump has repeatedly announced he would urge FIFA to remove 2026 World Cup matches from a host city based on municipal political climate, with Massachusetts emerging as the third targeted location to receive such threats from the White House. Furthermore, Trump remarked he would consider comparable measures against Southern California for the upcoming Olympic Games due to potential security concerns.

Jurisdictional Limits and Potential Influence

Even though Trump does not have direct legal authority to unilaterally remove either tournament, he may lobby the respective governing bodies overseeing each tournament to change host cities.

Setting for Statements

The comments were made during a news conference with Argentina's leader Milei, who was at the presidential residence following the announcement of a $20 billion rescue package for the Argentine country. Near the end of the meeting, a journalist inquired Trump about a recent “street takeover” in the city where police officers were assaulted and a patrol car was set on fire. The correspondent also questioned if such events could lead to the revocation of organizing rights for the larger football competition.

“I would take them away,” he remarked regarding the soccer games, set to be hosted at Gillette Stadium. “The city's leader is poor … she is radical left, and they’re taking over areas of downtown. It's a major statement, right?”

Street Takeovers and Political Context

Public disruptions, a online-fueled trend where groups of people assemble on city streets after dark to conduct vehicular acrobatics, have been a frequent issue in American cities since the coronavirus shutdowns. Latest incidents have turned violent in the region, notably in the city. Yet, these gatherings are typically not considered tied to any particular political ideology.

“If someone is doing a bad job, and I feel exist unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], who is excellent, and tell him let’s move it to a different city,” Trump commented publicly. “He'd do that. He wouldn’t love the action, but he’d do it. Without hesitation, he’d do it.”

Organizational Alignment

Gianni Infantino has publicly acknowledged his efforts to be publicly aligned with the former president ahead of next year’s tournament, set to be organized in multiple US locations across the America along with a couple in the northern neighbor and a few in Mexico. The FIFA president has appeared at several White House functions, had Trump present the FIFA club cup after the championship match, and has even postponed his own organization’s congress to travel with Trump on a trip to the Middle East this year.

Past Statements

Despite this, Trump from warning about the removal of World Cup matches from different locations. Recently, Seattle and San Francisco were parallel statements, with Trump claiming both urban centers were “run by far-left extremists who lack understanding what they’re doing,” while challenging the safety level of both areas and implying that matches could be removed.

Organizational Statement

The organization's deputy Montagliani rebuffed Trump’s statements when he reacted days later at a conference in England.

“This is FIFA’s tournament, our responsibility, we decide these matters,” the vice-president stated. “Respectfully to current world leaders, the sport is bigger than them and football will outlast their tenure and their government. That’s the beauty of our game, that it is transcends one leader and bigger than individual states.”

2028 Comments

During the event, Trump’s response to a query about Boston veered into a similar threat regarding the upcoming Summer Games.

“If I thought LA was failing to be prepared properly, I would move it to a different city as needed,” he said. “For the Olympics I might have to get a alternative permission, but we'd take that action.”

Any approval Trump alluded to would have to come via the Olympic governing body. Their head, she, was elected to her role in spring and has not yet meet publicly with the former president, though she indicated that she would like a sit-down with Trump at eventually.

Other Remarks

The former president also questioned the state's leader Newsom’s management of recent California fires, stating that a comparable scenario could cause the cancellation of the event.

“If Newsom is uncooperative, we are going to have to be firm,” he stated.

His statement was similarly clear for the Massachusetts city.

“They should address these issues,” Trump stated. “That is I will say.”