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The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, implied that the municipality was ready for a face-off with US President Donald Trump over his assertion that he could instruct FIFA to remove World Cup tournament games from the stadium in Foxborough, situated 22 miles south-west of the city.

Mayor Wu appeared on a Boston-based podcast recently to respond to criticism from the White House, which had labeled her as "radical left." President Trump had threatened that he would contact the head of FIFA if Boston did not "improve its situation."

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

Wu added, "We're in a world where for drama, for control, to test limits ... ongoing threats ... are directed at people and cities who stand their ground and submit or follow along to a divisive plan."

Mayor Wu further stated, "We are going to continue being who we are, and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation that is targeting Boston's values." Wu finished by stressing her support for the city, declaring, "Ten toes down for our city."

The President's Comments and FIFA's Role

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

Earlier, President Trump was asked about recent disturbances in a Boston neighborhood that included a police car being set on fire. He responded, "If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the head of FIFA, who's phenomenal."

Trump added, "I would say: 'We should relocate the games' and they would comply. He might not prefer it. But he would do it very easily." The president also directly criticized Wu, stating, "Boston's mayor is ineffective ... she's radical left, and they're taking over parts of Boston. That's a pretty big statement, right?"

Previous Threats and Upcoming Tournament Details

President Trump has made previous comments that he would take the same conversation with the FIFA president about moving games from Seattle and San Francisco, which are part of the 16 host cities across North America.

The United States is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with neighboring countries. The expanded tournament is scheduled to be played from 11 June to July 19 next summer.