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The mayor of Boston, Mayor Wu, indicated that the municipality was prepared for a face-off with President Donald Trump concerning his assertion that he could order FIFA to remove World Cup tournament games from Gillette Stadium, located approximately 35 kilometers southwest of Boston.

Mayor Wu appeared on a local podcast this week to answer criticism from the Trump administration, which had described her as "radical left." President Trump had threatened that he would call FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "address its issues."

A great deal of it is secured by agreement so that no one, even the president, can undo it.

Wu added, "We live in a time where for attention, for power, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are issued at people and cities who stand their ground and submit or follow along to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We are going to continue being ourselves, and that means, sadly, we are going to be part of a discussion that is targeting Boston's values." Wu concluded by emphasizing her support for the city, saying, "Ten toes down for Boston."

Trump's Comments and FIFA's Role

Recently, Infantino was seen alongside President Trump at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. Infantino has also been to the White House and presented World Cup tournament and club championship trophies to Trump as presents.

Earlier, Trump was asked about recent disturbances in South Boston that included a police car being set on fire. Trump responded, "If things aren't handled well, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Infantino – the head of FIFA, who's great."

Trump continued, "I would say: 'Let's move into another location' and they would comply. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it very easily." The president also specifically targeted Mayor Wu, saying, "Boston's mayor is not good ... she's far-left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Information

President Trump has previously suggested that he would have the similar discussion with the FIFA president about moving matches from other host cities, which are among the 16 locations across North America.

The US is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with neighboring countries. The expanded tournament is planned to be played from 11 June to July 19 next summer.