Translated by: Marwa Maqbool In controversial statements, President Donald Trump announced that he may seek to move the 2026 World Cup matches from Boston, Massachusetts, as well as the 2028 Olympics from Los Angeles, California, if he sees that the two cities are not adequately prepared or if security conditions are unstable.

According to what was reported by the magazine “BloombergPresident Trump said he admires the people of Boston, but criticized the performance of Mayor Michelle Wu, whose policies he described as raising security concerns. He threatened to contact FIFA President Gianni Infantino to move the events to another location.

These statements come after a wave of “crowd takeovers” of streets in Massachusetts, where groups of vehicles blocked roads and caused disturbances, prompting Trump to question the city’s readiness to host the global event.

Despite this, the Democratic mayor confirmed that Boston is considered one of the safest major cities in America, that its murder rate recorded a record low last year, and that it is ready to receive international matches.

The Greater Boston area is scheduled to host seven World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium, located southwest of the city, with these events expected to boost the local economy by about $1 billion, according to tourism officials.

As for California, Trump criticized the state’s governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom, for dealing with the fires that broke out in Los Angeles, and indicated that it was not ready to host about 800 Olympic events in the summer of 2028.

The threats to transfer major sporting events come at a time when the United States is expected to achieve huge economic and tourism gains from hosting the World Cup and the Olympics, making Trump’s statements the focus of widespread political and sporting controversy.

In the same context, Trump invited the FIFA President to attend the signing of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza this week, in a move that reflects the overlap of political and sports issues on the president’s agenda. He had also invited him several times to the White House.

For her part, Massachusetts Governor, Democratic Maura Healey, and Mayor Wu condemned the recent street takeovers, and stressed that the state does not tolerate such behavior.

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