Trump threatens to pull host cities from World Cup, including LA, if deemed 'dangerous'

Trump says he could move World Cup host cities if its unsafe

President Donald Trump said he'd consider moving some World Cup games if the host city is too "dangerous".

LOS ANGELES - President Donald Trump said he would consider relocating World Cup matches from US host cities, including Los Angeles, if he believes crime makes them unsafe for players and fans.

What they're saying:

Trump made the comments Thursday from the Oval Office while addressing crime and the deployment of National Guard troops to some US cities.  

"So we have a great Washington DC. We as you probably know, we're going into Memphis and we're going into some other cities and very soon we're going to go into Chicago. It will be safe for the World Cup. If I think it isn't safe, we're moving into a different city. Absolutely. We'll take the World.... if I think it's not. It's actually a very fair question. If I think it's not safe, we're going to move it out of that city," the president said. 

"If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup or for the Olympics, you know, where they have Olympic overthrow, right? But for the World Cup in particular because they're playing in so many cities, we won't allow it... we'll move it around a little bit. But I hope that's not gonna happen," he added. 

In addition to the World Cup, Trump also said he'd consider moving the Olympics if the host city was unsafe. The 2028 Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles.  

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When and where will World Cup be held? 

Dig deeper:

This will be the first World Cup that will be hosted across three nations – Canada, Mexico and the United States. The U.S. host cities include Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Santa Clara, and East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19, 2026. 

It's unclear if moving the World Cup this close to the games is even possible. FIFA has not responded to the president's comments.