President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that “we would do anything necessary to keep our Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military.”
Trump made the comments after he signed an executive order establishing a task force on the 2028 games, a group that includes cabinet secretaries and administration officials, including FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
Trump’s vow to use the National Guard or military follows his dispatch of troops to Los Angeles in response to protests of ICE raids. His decision to federalize the guard was opposed by California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who said that the show of federal force instead inflamed the situation.
At a White House event establishing the task force, the chair of the Olympic organizing committee, Casey Wasserman, had nothing but praise for the president, including his assistance during his first term in ensuring that Los Angeles was selected as host city.
Wasserman compared the process of organizing events to producing “seven Super Bowls a day for 30 days.” The city will host about 11,000 Olympic athletes and 4,500 Paralympic athletes, participating in 800 competitions at 49 venues. He also said that for the first time, the Olympic torch relay will pass through all 50 states.
Trump undoubtedly would like to put his stamp on the games, even though planning has been taking place for years. The task force’s functions, per the executive order, are to coordinate federal planning and response related to security, transportation, and entry/exit processes; to support interagency and state and local information sharing; to identify legal, logistical, or regulatory barriers that could stymie federal support; to assist in visa processing and credentialing; and to ensure operational readiness across law enforcement, counterterrorism, transportation and emergency response.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law last month, included $1 billion for Olympics security and other costs.
Wasserman said that the funding “will be used by local and state agencies and the federal government to make sure that our games are safe and secure and ultimately the best place to experience and be an Olympic fan.”