WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters the government will have to “force ourselves” on Los Angeles when the World Cup happens, saying he did not want any crime or problems.
“We’re gonna have to do something when it comes World Cup time, and we’re gonna have to force ourselves upon them, which we have the right to do, because we don’t want to have any crime, we don’t want to have any problems,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office.
Trump has touted crackdown on crime in several cities, including Washington, where he mobilized hundreds of federal agents and thousands of soldiers to the nation’s capital.
The soccer World Cup, one of the globe’s biggest sporting events, will be held in June and July this year across three countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Spokespeople for the LA mayor and California’s governor did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis; editing by Michelle Nichols, Bhargav Acharya)
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