Overview
- In Oval Office remarks, the president said he could request moving matches from U.S. host cities he deems unsafe, singling out Seattle and the San Francisco area.
- He criticized local leadership in those cities as “lunatic radical leftists” and pledged the tournament would be “safe.”
- He named Memphis and Chicago as potential alternatives if a scheduled site is judged unsafe.
- He cited last month’s National Guard deployment in Washington as a security example, claiming it resulted in “no crime” in the capital.
- FIFA retains authority to set and change venues, Seattle and Santa Clara are slated for six matches each in a 48-team tournament running June 11 to July 19, and he did not announce any specific venue changes.