D.C. – On Tuesday, President Donald Trump will sign an executive order creating a new task committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, which will take place in Los Angeles during his second term. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the president was “instrumental in securing America’s bid” for the event during his first term and that he sees it as a “great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle.”
Leavitt said that the president wants to make the 2028 Games “the most exciting and memorable in history,” and that his “athletic expertise, combined with his unmatched hospitality experience,” will help him do this. The executive order, which will officially create the task group on Tuesday, was first reported by media.
Task Force to Deal with Security and Logistical Issues
The new task force will be made up of people from different government agencies and the president’s cabinet. Its job is to make sure that the federal, state, and local governments all work together. The main things it will be in charge of are:
Security: Dealing with the big security problems that come up when a big international event is projected to gather a lot of people and tourists from other countries.
Transportation: Making sure that athletes, officials, and the public can get to and from events smoothly.
Visa Processing: Making it easier for international athletes, coaches, officials, and media to get their visas and credentials.
President Trump set established a similar task team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. Trump chose Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to be the head of the World Cup task committee. The 2026 task group was set up to help the federal government plan for the World Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, which was also staged in the U.S. earlier this year.
Criticism and Controversy
Select people who don’t like Trump have said that his plans to crack down on illegal immigration and limit travel from select nations could make it harder to host the 2028 Games. They are worried that harsh immigration rules would keep overseas visitors and fans from coming. Trump has vowed to make it easier for teams and their fans to travel and get visas in response to worries over the World Cup.
The president has been a big fan of big international sports events, bragging in public about getting the World Cup and the Olympics. His regular participation at major sporting events since taking office, like as the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, and a UFC fight, shows that he is personally interested in sports. He has also spoken out about sports issues, most memorably calling the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony a “disgrace” because some people thought it was a religious reference.
The formation of the task team is a big step toward further federal involvement in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics. The president has always said he is personally interested in the event since it was announced.