Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is pushing back against President Trump’s assertion that he could take away FIFA World Cup matches from Massachusetts in 2026 over safety concerns.
Mr. Trump said in response to a reporter’s question at the White House Tuesday about a recent “street takeover” in the city that “Boston better clean up their act” or he could force the relocation of seven matches set to be played in June and July at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, which is more than 20 miles southwest of Boston.
“There’s no ability to take away the World Cup games,” Wu said Wednesday morning on the “Java With Jimmy” show. “There’s no real threat when it comes to saying cities are so unsafe that they can’t host the games.”
Trump says he could get FIFA to move World Cup matches
Mr. Trump said Tuesday that he could call FIFA President Gianni Infantino to have the matches moved “if somebody is doing a bad job and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions.”
“And he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it very easily,” the president said. “He’d do it, and this is the right time to do it.”
Mr. Trump spoke about the issue again on Wednesday and reiterated that “the answer is yes, we do have the right to do that with FIFA.”
“You know, FIFA is very hot. If we think there’s any reason that whether it’s Boston or anywhere else that they’re not doing their job, we’re gonna take those World Cup games and move them someplace else,” he said.
Wu said many months of planning has gone into Boston’s World Cup role, which is expected to have an economic impact of hundreds of millions of dollars in the region.
“Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it,” Wu said.
A FIFA spokesperson said governments decide what is in the best interest for public safety.
“Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “Safety and security are obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety. We hope every one of our 16 Host Cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfill all necessary requirements.”
Trump vs. Wu
Mr. Trump talked about Wu personally in his comments, calling her “intelligent” but adding, “I think she is hurting Boston.” The mayor is set to be reelected to another four-year term in November and running unopposed after an overwhelming victory in September’s preliminary election.
Wu has previously clashed with the Trump administration over immigration. In August, she told the Department of Justice that “Boston will not back down” after threats to pull funding from cities labeled as “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
“We are going to continue to be who we are and that means unfortunately we are going to be continue to be in the conversation in a way that is targeting Boston’s values,” Wu said Wednesday.
Source link