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Boston's mayor, Michelle Wu, implied that the city was ready for a dispute with President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to relocate World Cup tournament games from the stadium in Foxborough, situated 22 miles southwest of the city.

Mayor Wu appeared on a local podcast recently to respond to criticism from the Trump administration, which had described her as "far-left." President Trump had threatened that he would call the head of FIFA if Boston did not "clean up its act."

Much of it is secured by agreement so that no one, even if they live in the White House, can reverse it.

She added, "We're in a world where for attention, for power, for pushing the boundaries ... repeated warnings ... are issued at people and cities who refuse to back down and submit or be obedient to a hateful agenda."

She also remarked, "We are going to continue being ourselves, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be part of a discussion that is challenging Boston's values." Wu finished by stressing her support for the city, saying, "Ten toes down for Boston."

The President's Statements and FIFA's Involvement

Earlier this week, Infantino was photographed with Trump at the Gaza summit in Egypt. The FIFA president has also visited the White House and given World Cup tournament and club championship awards to Trump as gifts.

On Tuesday, Trump was asked about unrest in South Boston that included a police car being burned. Trump responded, "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 would say: 'Let's move into another location' and they would do that. He might not prefer it. But he would do it without hesitation." The president also specifically targeted Mayor Wu, stating, "Boston's mayor is not good ... she's far-left, and they're dominating some areas in Boston. That's a strong claim, right?"

Past Warnings and Upcoming Tournament Information

President Trump has made previous comments that he would have the same conversation with Infantino about moving games from other host cities, which are part of the 16 locations across North America.

The US is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with neighboring countries. The 48-team event is planned to be played from 11 June to July 19 in the coming year.