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Trump threatens to pull World Cup games from Seattle over safety concerns
President Trump suggested he would ask to move Seattle's six World Cup games to another city if he perceives any safety issues, citing the city's crime rate and describing its new mayor-elect as "very liberal slash communist."
SEATTLE - President Donald Trump once again brought up the possibility of moving the 2026 FIFA World Cup out of Seattle, adding some choice words for mayor-elect Katie Wilson during a press conference Monday.
Trump spoke alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary Kristi Noem at the White House, discussing details about the upcoming 2026 World Cup, which will be held across 16 host cities across the U.S.
During the press conference, one reporter asked Trump about the city of Seattle, specifically surrounding the new mayor and potential safety concerns for the World Cup.
"The new mayor of Seattle is a Democratic socialist…Seattle has six World Cup games, how close are you going to be watching that city with crime?"
What they're saying:
Trump initially responded by comparing Seattle to the city of Los Angeles, praising the government's response to the Palisades Fire. Eventually, he spoke about the possibility of pulling the World Cup games from Seattle and moving them to a different city.
"If we think there's going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city, we have a lot of cities that would love to have it, number one, and we'll do it very safely," Trump said.
Trump also targeted Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson in his comments, who recently beat incumbent Bruce Harrell in a closely-decided race. Trump called Wilson "more than a socialist" and a "liberal/communist" while responding to the reporter's question.
"So if we think there's a problem in Seattle where you have a very, very liberal/communist mayor, I would say certainly beyond just liberal, I watched her over the weekend, wow, that's another beauty we got there. But if we think there's going to be a problem, we'll, Gianni can I say we will move— I don't think you can have this problem, but we're going to move the event to someplace where it's going to be appreciated and safe," Trump said.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino followed up Trump's comments, saying the following:
"Yeah I think safety and security is the number one priority for a successful World Cup, we can see today that people have trust in the United States when we see the tickets, ticket sales, we've sold record-breaking figures of tickets, almost 2 million already. This is because people, they know they will be coming here and they will experience a safe and secure World Cup. It's the responsibility of course of the government, of Secretary Noem, of everyone, obviously we will discuss, we are working together, we have a task force for this, and we must ensure that all fans coming from abroad are being here, they can experience a celebration of coming together of the sport, and this goes only with 100% safety," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Secretary Noem then reiterated the president's comments, saying:
"We are communicating with all these mayors about what their responsibilities are," said Secretary Kristi Noem. "They know the safety and security of these events are their number one responsibility, and we'll be there, the president's always there to keep Americans safe. But he also makes sure that people know their responsibilities and that they're prepared to host these events and do so in a safe manner."
The backstory:
This isn't Trump's first time saying he's considered the possibility of moving the World Cup games out of Seattle, as he made similar comments back in September.
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President Trump suggests relocating 2026 World Cup Games
President Donald Trump suggested that any U.S cities hosting FIFA World Cup matches in 2026, could lose those games if they're deemed to be unsafe cities.
Trump also announced a new "FIFA Pass" during Monday's press conference, aimed at easing visa access for fans traveling to North America for the tournament. The program is designed to streamline visa appointments for fans who have purchased tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
Trump, FIFA President unveil plan to help 2026 World Cup fans get travel visas faster
As qualifying nations continue to secure their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino met Monday at the White House, announcing a new "FIFA Pass" aimed at easing visa access for fans traveling to North America for the tournament.
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The Source: Information in this story came from FIFA, FOX 5 DC, and previous FOX 13 Seattle reporting.