President Donald Trump turned his attention on Tuesday to criminal behavior in Boston after multiple deployments of National Guard troops to cities throughout the country to help reduce crime.
Trump suggested he might order the removal of the 2026 World Cup games from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots.
In a Tuesday meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei at the White House, Trump cited “unsafe conditions” in Boston. He mentioned recent violent car meets in Boston earlier this month, one of which left a police department cruiser destroyed by fire.
The car meetups have been deemed “staged attacks” and organized through social media and group messaging platforms, local prosecutors said.
“These street takeovers are not spontaneous events but are preplanned and coordinated through social media platforms and group messaging applications,” said Lisa Deacutis, assistant district attorney at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. “Participants share meeting points, times, and driving routes in advance to allow large numbers to join intersections before police arrive.”
The president claimed that “they’re taking over parts of Boston” before stating, “But we could get them back in about two seconds.”
Trump was also critical of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, calling her “radical left” and saying he was not pleased with her response to the violence.
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”I think she is hurting Boston,” Trump said. “The answer is yes. If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, let’s move it to another location, if I thought Boston was going to cause safety conditions for the World Cup. I could say the same thing for the Olympics.”
Wu’s office issued a statement in response to Trump’s comments. It did not mention the president’s remarks but emphasized its excitement about Boston holding the event.
“Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions,” the statement read.
