Boston's Leader Mayor Wu Addresses President Trump's Threat to Relocate FIFA World Cup Games from City
The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, indicated that the municipality was ready for a confrontation with President Donald Trump over his claim that he could instruct FIFA to remove World Cup tournament matches from Gillette Stadium, located approximately 35 kilometers southwest of Boston.
Mayor Wu spoke on a local podcast this week to answer comments from the White House, which had labeled her as "radical left." Trump had threatened that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "address its issues."
Much of it is locked down by agreement so that no one, even if they live in the White House, can reverse it.
Wu added, "We live in a time where for attention, for power, to test limits ... ongoing threats ... are directed at people and cities who refuse to back down and submit or be obedient to a divisive plan."
She further stated, "We are going to continue being who we are, and that means, sadly, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging Boston's values." She finished by emphasizing her commitment for the Boston, declaring, "Ten toes down for Boston."
The President's Comments and FIFA Role
Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was photographed alongside President Trump at the international summit in Egypt. The FIFA president has also been to the White House and presented World Cup tournament and Club World Cup awards to Trump as presents.
Earlier, President Trump was asked about recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that included a police vehicle being burned. Trump replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the president of FIFA, who's great."
Trump added, "I'd tell him: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it very easily." Trump also directly criticized Wu, stating, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"
Previous Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Information
Trump has made previous comments that he would have the same conversation with Infantino about relocating games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are among the 16 locations across North America.
The United States is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Mexico and Canada. The 48-team event is scheduled to be held from 11 June to July 19 next summer.
