President Donald Trump is threatening to deploy federal forces to Los Angeles ahead of the FIFA World Cup, warning that the government will “force ourselves” on the city to prevent crime during the global tournament.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump made clear he sees federal intervention as both necessary and within his authority. “We’re going to have to do something when it comes World Cup time, and we’re going to have to force ourselves upon them, which we have the right to do because we don’t want to have any crime,” he said. “We don’t want to have any problems for the Olympics and the World Cup.”
The remarks come as Los Angeles prepares to host a significant portion of the world’s most-watched sporting event. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the United States national team’s opening game against Paraguay. The tournament runs in June and July across three countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This is not the first time President Trump has deployed federal resources to a major American city. According to Reuters, Trump previously mobilized hundreds of federal agents and thousands of soldiers to Washington, D.C. as part of a broader crackdown on crime in cities across the country.
As of Wednesday, spokespeople for the Los Angeles mayor and California’s governor had not responded to requests for comment on the president’s threat, according to the Straits Times.
It remains to be seen whether the administration will take formal steps to deploy federal forces to Southern California, or whether local and state officials will push back against any such effort in the weeks and months ahead.
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