Donald Trump loves to put on a show, as evidenced by his appearances on WWE and his many years in the world of reality TV. He hasn't changed since arriving at the White House. In the Oval Office, the President of the United States recently brandished the threat of upending the stadium map for the 2026 World Cup, no less, eight months before the tournament's opening. This media outing confirms one thing: Donald Trump will not hesitate to use the World Cup, or even the 2028 Los Angeles Games, in his political war with the Democrats.
Seattle, Boston and California in his sights
The US president's comments come amid tensions with Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston, which will host seven World Cup matches next summer. We could take them away, Trump told the press. I love the people of Boston, but your mayor is not competent… If someone is doing a bad job and I think the conditions are unsafe, I would call Gianni (Infantino), the president of FIFA, who is great, and tell him to move the games somewhere else. And he would do it. He wouldn't like it, but he would do it, very easily. (…) Boston had better get its act together. "A few weeks ago, he already mentioned the idea of wiping Seattle and San Francisco off the World Cup map because of the supposed insecurity of these cities, which are run by Democrats.
Los Angeles is also in his sights. I could say the same thing for the Olympics., Trump continued on Tuesday. If I thought Los Angeles wasn't prepared enough, I would move them to another location. I would probably have to get a different kind of permit for that, but we would do it. (…) Gavin Newsom (state governor, editor's note) needs to get his act together because if we hadn't intervened forcefully at the beginning of my term, they would have lost Los Angeles. » Trump has repeatedly criticized the handling of the massive fires in the Los Angeles area. This summer, he also sent the National Guard to respond to protests against Washington's aggressive immigration policy. The White House tenant has engaged in an ideological war. And to achieve his goals, he wouldn't hesitate to hold the World Cup or the Olympic and Paralympic Games hostage.
“Football is bigger than any individual”
Fortunately, Donald Trump doesn't have the power to move the Games or the World Cup at will. It wasn't the US government that chose the World Cup host cities, but FIFA. Donald Trump therefore has no control over the decision. The American president could, however, pressure his friend Gianni Infantino to get FIFA to intervene, but such a scenario seems unlikely with less than a year to go before the event.
The designated cities have been preparing the groundwork for several years, and rushing into a plan B would not be without risks for the smooth organization of the tournament. The draw for the competition, scheduled for December 5, will determine the location of dozens of matches and will be followed by numerous transportation and accommodation reservations by federations and fans. Upending this entire organization would reflect poorly on the United States, to which Trump is fiercely attached.
Among the host cities, the president's barking does not generate any particular concern. FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani recalled the framework three weeks ago at a conference in London: " This is FIFA's tournament, and FIFA makes these decisions. With all due respect to the current world leaders, football is bigger than them, and football will outlive their regime, their government, and their slogans. That's the beauty of our sport: it's bigger than any individual and bigger than any country. "There is no question of letting anyone, including the President of the United States, settle political scores using sport.
