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Boston's mayor, Michelle Wu, indicated that the municipality was prepared for a face-off with President Donald Trump concerning his claim that he could instruct FIFA to remove World Cup tournament games from Gillette Stadium, located 22 miles south-west of the city.

Wu appeared on a local podcast recently to respond to criticism from the Trump administration, which had labeled her as "radical left." Trump had threatened that he would contact FIFA President Gianni Infantino if Boston did not "improve its situation."

A great deal of it is secured by agreement so that no single person, even if they live in the White House, can change it.

Wu continued, "We're in a world where for attention, for control, to test limits ... repeated warnings ... are issued at people and cities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu also remarked, "We will keep being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation that is challenging Boston's values." She concluded by emphasizing her support for the city, declaring, "Ten toes down for our city."

The President's Statements and FIFA Role

Recently, Infantino was seen alongside Trump at the international summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. The FIFA president has also been to the Oval Office and presented World Cup tournament and Club World Cup trophies to Trump as presents.

On Tuesday, President Trump was questioned on unrest in a Boston neighborhood that involved a police car being set on fire. He responded, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's danger, I would call Gianni – the president of FIFA, who's great."

Trump continued, "I'd tell him: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it without hesitation." Trump also specifically targeted Wu, stating, "Their mayor is not good ... she's radical left, and they're dominating parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Previous Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Details

President 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 US is joint hosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. The 48-team event is scheduled to be held from 11 June to 19 July in the coming year.