President Donald Trump said Monday that 2026 World Cup matches scheduled in Seattle could be moved to another city if federal officials determine the games cannot be held safely.
During an Oval Office exchange with reporters, Trump was asked about Seattle’s role as a host city and about the city’s newly elected mayor, Katie Wilson, who was described by the reporter as a Democratic Socialist.
“Or beyond, I’m not sure. That’s more than Socialist,” Trump replied. He went on to describe Wilson as “very, very liberal-slash-communist,” adding, “I watched her over the weekend. Wow, that’s another beauty we got there.”
Trump said the administration is monitoring Seattle closely as the city prepares to host six World Cup games in 2026.
He suggested he would direct federal officials to relocate the matches if he considered the city unsafe.
“If we think there’s going to be the sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni (Infantino) to move that to a different city,” Trump said. “We have a lot of cities that would love to have it, number one, and we’ll do it very safely. So if we think there’s a problem in Seattle where you have a very, very liberal-slash-communist mayor, I would say, you know, it’s certainly beyond just liberal.”
Trump added that his administration had previously intervened in Los Angeles during a crisis, claiming federal involvement prevented what he called “total insurrection.”
He credited his team with managing that response successfully, saying, “If we didn’t go in early on, Chris, I think we could say it … They were unable to handle it.”
Trump’s comments came after earlier remarks in September, when he first raised the possibility of moving World Cup matches from cities he described as unsafe.
At that time, he said that public safety would determine whether games remain in scheduled locations.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who joined the Oval Office conversation, said safety and security remain the top priorities for the tournament.
“People know that they will be coming here, and they will experience a safe and secure World Cup,” Infantino said. “This is the responsibility, of course, of the government, of Secretary Noem, of everyone … and we must ensure that all fans coming from abroad or being here, they can experience a celebration of coming together, of the sport. And this goes only with 100% safety.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added that coordination with host cities is ongoing.
“We are communicating with all these mayors about what their responsibilities are,” she said. “They know the safety and security of these events is their number one responsibility, and we’ll be there. The president’s always there to keep Americans safe.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, with Seattle’s Lumen Field among the designated venues.
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