Trump suggests moving Seattle-based 2026 FIFA World Cup games over safety concerns under new socialist mayor

The comments came during a White House press conference alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, where officials discussed preparations for the upcoming World Cup, which will be hosted across 16 cities in the US, as well as cities in Canada and Mexico.

When asked about Seattle’s readiness to host six World Cup matches, Trump sharply criticized mayor-elect Wilson, calling her “more than a socialist” and suggesting that her past advocacy for police abolition could jeopardize public safety during the global sporting event.

“The new mayor of Seattle is a Democratic socialist… How close are you going to be watching that city with crime?” a reporter asked.

Trump responded by comparing Seattle’s political leadership to that of Los Angeles during the Palisades Fire, while criticizing both cities' public safety records. He then suggested moving the matches to another city if there were safety concerns.

“If we think there's going to be a sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city,” Trump said. “We have a lot of cities that would love to have it… and we'll do it very safely.”

Trump went on to characterize Wilson as “a very, very liberal/communist mayor,” adding that if Seattle appeared unable to ensure safety, “we’re going to move the event to someplace where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.” Trump added regarding Wilson, “I watched her over the weekend, wow, that’s another beauty we got there.”

The comments echo similar remarks Trump made in September, when he also suggested he might relocate Seattle’s matches if city leadership could not guarantee security.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized that safety is paramount to a successful World Cup and that the organization is closely coordinating with federal officials.

“Safety and security is the number one priority,” Infantino said. He noted that nearly two million tickets had already been sold, attributing the strong interest to trust in the United States’ ability to host a secure tournament.

Secretary Noem reinforced that message, stating that the administration is in direct communication with mayors of all host cities. “They know the safety and security of these events are their number one responsibility,” she said. “The president’s always there to keep Americans safe… and to make sure people know their responsibilities.”

Trump’s remarks drew renewed attention to Wilson’s long history of advocating for defunding and dismantling Seattle’s police department, positions she sought to downplay during the 2025 mayoral campaign.

From 2020 to 2024, Wilson publicly aligned with the “defund” and “abolition” movements that surged after the death of George Floyd and the ensuing riots that rocked the Emerald City and the nation. In a 2020 Cascade PBS op-ed, she urged Seattle to cut the police budget by 50 percent and argued there was “a strong argument for simply disbanding police departments and starting over.”

She was quoted in 2020 by Publicola saying, “We want to move towards a future entirely without SPD.” Following a 20 percent reduction to the police budget in 2020, Wilson said she was “disappointed” the cuts were not deeper and encouraged activists to continue pushing for full police abolition.

As general secretary of the far-left Transit Riders Union, Wilson also played a central role in drafting annual “Solidarity Budget” proposals, which consistently called for diverting city funds away from policing, courts, and prosecutors and into social services, housing, and transit.

Between 2021 and 2024, her coalition endorsed demands to cut the SPD budget by at least 50 percent, reduce funded sworn officer positions, defund narcotics investigations and the City Attorney’s Criminal Division, and end misdemeanor criminalization and divest from prosecution, probation, and incarceration systems. The Solidarity Budget also proposed eliminating the city’s Navigation Team, which offered outreach to the homeless and cleared encampments.

During the 2025 mayoral debates, Wilson denied having made past statements supporting police abolition. Her opponents, incumbent mayor Bruce Harrell, responded by citing her previous quotes.

When Harrell referenced her 2020 remark about “a future entirely without SPD,” Wilson responded, “I never said that,” despite documentation to the contrary. In an October debate, she said she had “learned a lot since then,” though she did not explicitly retract any previous positions.

Even in 2024, the Solidarity Budget continued to call for divesting from “policing, prosecution, and punishment systems that criminalize poverty.”

By April 2025, Seattle’s City Council had reversed earlier commitments to “defund or abolish SPD,” citing the loss of more than 600 officers and rising violent crime as consequences of those earlier policies.