Trump to announce White House taskforce for 2028 LA Olympics

The Guardian

2 days ago

Donald Trump is expected to announce on Tuesday that he will create a White House taskforce to oversee elements of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The president is set to sign an executive order establishing the taskforce, which will include cabinet members and government officials and will handle security and transportation on the first Games in the US in nearly three decades. The announcement comes after a summer of political clashes between the administration and Los Angeles leaders.
'During his first term, President Trump was instrumental in securing America's bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The president considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle in his second term,' Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
With the Olympics just three years away, the city has been rushing to prepare for the Games, which are expected to attract millions of people over the course of 16 days.
City leaders have been in what the Los Angeles Times described as 'high-stakes' negotiations with LA28, the committee managing the event, over the use of city staff, including police officers. Meanwhile, a proposed ballot measure could require some Olympic venues to receive approval from voters in order to be used.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles has been through a tense standoff with the Trump administration, including over aggressive immigration raids in the region and the deployment of US troops into the city over the objection of city and state leaders.
The International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, has expressed confidence in the 'strong' city and said the games have the support of US leaders.
'With regard to LA, we have the full support of the president of the United States and the governor of California and the mayor of Los Angeles for the success of these Olympic Games,' Bach told the Associated Press in June.
Trump has frequently touted his support for hosting the games in Los Angeles. His recent budget bill allocates $1bn for security, planning and other Olympic-related costs.
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, the chairperson and president of LA28 expressed 'deep appreciation' to the administration for their 'unwavering support'.
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'The creation of this taskforce marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028,' Casey Wasserman said.
Reuters contributed to this report