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The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, implied that the municipality was ready for a face-off with US President Donald Trump concerning his claim that he could instruct FIFA to remove World Cup tournament matches from Gillette Stadium, situated 22 miles south-west of Boston.

Wu appeared on a local podcast recently to address comments from the White House, which had described her as "radical left." Trump had warned that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "improve its situation."

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

Wu added, "We're in a world where for attention, for control, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are issued at individuals and communities who stand their ground and submit or follow along to a hateful agenda."

She further stated, "We are going to continue being ourselves, and that means, sadly, we are going to be part of a discussion that is challenging what Boston stands for." Wu finished by emphasizing her support for the city, declaring, "Ten toes down for our city."

The President's Statements and FIFA's Involvement

Earlier this week, FIFA President Gianni Infantino was seen alongside Trump at the Gaza summit in Egypt. The FIFA president has also been to the Oval Office and presented World Cup tournament and club championship trophies to the president as gifts.

On Tuesday, President Trump was asked about unrest in South Boston that included a police car being burned. He responded, "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 great."

He added, "I'd tell him: 'We should relocate the games' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it without hesitation." Trump also directly criticized Mayor Wu, stating, "Their mayor is not good ... she's far-left, and they're dominating some areas in Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Threats and Upcoming Tournament Information

Trump has made previous comments that he would have the similar discussion with the FIFA president about moving games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are part of the 16 locations across the continent.

The United States is joint hosts the 2026 tournament with neighboring countries. The 48-team event is planned to be played from June 11 to July 19 next summer.