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The mayor of Boston, Mayor Wu, indicated that the city was ready for a confrontation with President Donald Trump regarding his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to remove World Cup tournament matches from Gillette Stadium, situated 22 miles south-west of Boston.

Mayor Wu spoke on a local podcast recently to answer comments from the White House, 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 locked down by contract so that no single person, even the president, can change it.

She continued, "We live in a time where for drama, 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."

Mayor Wu further stated, "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 finished by stressing her commitment for the Boston, saying, "Fully committed for Boston."

Trump's Comments and FIFA Involvement

Recently, Infantino was seen with Trump at the Gaza summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The FIFA president has also visited the Oval Office and presented World Cup and club championship trophies to Trump as gifts.

On Tuesday, President Trump was questioned on unrest in South Boston that involved a police vehicle being set on fire. He replied, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Infantino – the president of the organization, who's great."

Trump continued, "I'd tell him: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He wouldn't love to do it. But he would do it without hesitation." The president also directly criticized Mayor Wu, saying, "Their mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're dominating some areas in Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Previous Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Details

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

The United States is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. The expanded tournament is planned to be held from June 11 to 19 July next summer.