WASHINGTON – President Trump orders the creation of the White House Task Force on Tuesday, focusing on the security of the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles in 2028.
White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt told The Times that the president is due to create a task force on Tuesday, and that he “sees it as a great honor to oversee this global sport’s spectacle.”
“During his first term, President Trump helped secure an American bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,” Leavitt said. “Sport is one of President Trump’s greatest passions, and his athletic expertise and his unparalleled hospitality experience will make these Olympic events the most exciting and memorable in history.”
It is unclear whether the executive order will provide relief as city leaders and the Los Angeles Organising Committee for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics, a privately funded nonprofit organization known as LA28, which plans the game.
Under the Trump Signature Act, the president calls the “big beautiful bill,” he sets up $1 billion for security, planning and other expenses for LA games.
LA28 Chairman and President Casey Wasserman thanked the Trump administration in a statement “for leadership and unwavering support preparing to offer the largest and most ambitious Olympic and Paralympic games ever hosted in the United States.”
“Since securing this historic opportunity in 2017, President Trump has consistently recognized the magnitude of his responsibility to welcome the world in Los Angeles,” Wasserman said. “The creation of this task force shows significant progress in planning efforts and reflects a common commitment to delivering the biggest game the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028.”
Los Angeles leaders are in negotiations with LA28 to use city police, traffic officers and other employees during the Olympics and Paralympics.
The following month’s 17-day Olympics and two-week Paralympics will require security, trash removal, traffic management, and emergency services.
Under the 2021 game agreement between LA28 and the city, LA28 will need to refund the city for services beyond what the city offers on a regular day. The two parties must agree to “enhanced services” (additional city services required for the game) by October 1, 2025 and determine interest rates, repayment timelines, audit rights and other processes beyond their normal levels.
Overtime at Los Angeles police officers and other major expenses will be felt sharply by the city government, which recently shut down a budget deficit of around $1 billion by slowing down police employment.
Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
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