(The Center Square) – Citing concerns about crime, President Donald Trump floated the idea of moving matches for next summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup away from U.S. cities – including Seattle – that are “even a little bit dangerous.”
Speaking from the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump responded to a reporter who mentioned Seattle and San Francisco, which will host six World Cup games each, as cities that have resisted the administration’s more aggressive enforcement of federal immigration laws.
“They’re run by radical left lunatics that don’t know what they’re doing,” Trump said to assembled reporters.
Trump then touted his administration’s crime-fighting efforts in the nation’s capital.
Since August, Trump has implemented a series of federal actions aimed at reducing crime in Washington, D.C., including deploying federal agents and the National Guard.
“We have this city in great shape,” Trump said.
The president essentially guaranteed security for what is widely considered the largest sporting event in the world, attracting billions of viewers to watch the world’s best national soccer teams compete every four years.
“It will be safe for the World Cup,” Trump said. “If I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it into a different city, absolutely.”
The Center Square contacted Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office for comment on Trump’s remarks.
“The facts are clear: violent crime is down 20% in Seattle,” Harrell said, in part, in an official statement sent to The Center Square. “We are making record-breaking progress on police hiring with nearly 130 officers hired this year. My proposed 2026 budget also makes additional investments in safety preparations for the World Cup, including new removable vehicle barriers at Pike Place Market and Seattle Center campus.
“While we are doing our part to make safety improvements ahead of hosting games, the Trump administration has made our city less safe by withholding critical funding for counterterrorism tools. While the City’s lawsuit has successfully released a portion of this funding, President Trump’s words about safety don’t align with his administration’s actions.”
According to an August study by Security.org based on 2024 FBI data, Seattle ranked fourth-worst among America’s 30 largest cities for overall crime. The study found that Seattle’s high ranking was primarily driven by its elevated property crime rates, not violent crime.
The Center Square also reached out to the Seattle Police Department for comment, given recent events, including the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month and Wednesday’s killing of two immigration detainees by a shooter at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas, Texas.
The Seattle Police Department referred The Center Square back to the mayor.
It’s unclear that Trump has the legal authority to move World Cup games unilaterally.
Carleen Johnson and Spencer Pauley contributed to this story.
