1 of 7 | President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order establishing a White House task force for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games Washington, DC on Tuesday. The task force will focus on security, transportation issues, visa processing and credentialing for foreign attendees. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 5 (UPI) — President Donald Trump will lead a new high-level task force that will direct federal resources toward preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Trump on Tuesday announced the creation of the task force that will include Cabinet secretaries and other senior administration officials he said will mobilize “the entire federal government to ensure the games are safe, seamless and historically successful.”
The task force, created by an executive order, will coordinate the federal government’s security, transportation and “entry/exit” functions for the games that are expected to draw millions of people over the course of roughly two weeks to Los Angeles in July 2028. Trump and Vice President JD Vance will serve as the respective chair and vice chair of the task force with a forthcoming executive director who will oversee its day-to-day operations.
“I think it’s going to be amazing,” said Trump. “America is a nation of champions, and in July 2028 we’ll show the world what America does best, and that’s when we’re winning like we have never won before.”
Speaking at the press event, Casey Wasserman, chairman of the 2028 L.A. Olympics organizing committee, said the Games will attract more than 150 heads of state and will host approximately 11,000 Olympic and 4,500 Paralympic athletes in 800 competitions at 49 venues. He said the Games will be the equivalent of putting on seven Super Bowls a day for 30 days and thanked Trump for his support.
It’s not clear how the task force will interface with local authorities in Los Angeles, where the city’s Democratic leaders have clashed with the Trump administration over its aggressive approach to immigration and the president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the city to quell violent protests.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has called the Trump administration’s deployment of U.S. troops to MacArthur Park “un-American” and supported the city’s move to join a lawsuit seeking to halt immigration raids.
Bass said in a post on X Saturday that the city will be ready for the Olympics and will not let the Trump administration “divide us.”
Trump took a swipe at Bass during Tuesday’s press conference, saying he would use the National Guard or the military to keep the event safe.
“Because, obviously, you have a mayor that is not very competent,” he said.
Trump earlier signed an executive order intended to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports. He said there will be a “strong form of testing” to prevent transgender athletes from participating in the Olympics and suggested his administration may pursue charges.