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≡ WHITE HOUSE TASK FORCE ≡
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Tuesday afternoon to create a White House Task Force to support the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
In addition to a large group of administration officials on the stage, the guests included LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman and chief executive Reynold Hoover, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee Board Chair Gene Sykes, 2008 Olympic gymnastics champion Nastia Liukin and five-time Paralympic gold medalist Brad Snyder.
Noting that when the Games were awarded to Los Angeles during his first term in 2017, he did not expected to be involved – assuming he would be re-elected in 2020 – Trump said:
“Today I will sign an Executive Order establishing the White House Task Force on the 2028 summer Olympics, mobilizing the entire Federal government to ensure the Games are safe, seamless and historically successful.
“It’s going to be amazing. … L.A.’s a little bit different place than it was when selected [in 2017], but we’re going to bring it back stronger than ever. I spoke to Casey about that; he said, ‘nope, we’re going to make it better than ever.”
The 15-minute ceremony closed with Trump signing the order before he launched into an 18-minute news conference on various topics, with only one question on Olympic issues. The order itself included:
● “The Federal Government will lead a unified effort to ensure maximum safety, secure borders, and world-class transportation for millions of visitors throughout the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games (Games).”
● Trump was designated as Chair and Vice President J.D. Vance as Vice Chair, with an Executive Director to be hired and report through Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Implementation, Nicolas Luna. The Task Force will work out of the Department of Homeland Security.
● The specific responsibilities were noted as:
“(a) coordinate Federal planning and response related to the security, transportation, and entry/exit processes for the Games;
“(b) support interagency cooperation and information-sharing with State and local partners;
“(c) identify legal, logistical, or regulatory barriers that could impede effective Federal support for the Games and recommend timely solutions;
“(d) assist in the planning and implementation of visa processing and credentialing programs for foreign athletes, coaches, officials, and media personnel; and
“(e) ensure operational readiness across law enforcement, counterterrorism, transportation, and emergency response functions.”
Wasserman thanked Trump and his support and that of the administration, and he presented Trump with a boxed set of 1984 Los Angeles Olympic medals as a souvenir.
During the question-and-answer session, the only 2028 Games-related question was on whether U.S. security forces will be used and Trump confirmed that the military and/or National Guard will be used as needed.
“We’ll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military. … I will use the National Guard or military, this is going to be so safe, and if we have to,” and then launched into a tirade against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass:
“because, obviously, you have a mayor that is not very competent. She can’t get the permits to the people [rebuilding after the Palisades fire], you know people are still waiting for their permits. [EPA Director] Lee Zeldin got them the Federal permit, which is 10 times harder to get and everybody can build on the Federal basis – and that’s the hard one – but the mayor, Bass, she refuses to or cannot get them permits. They are waiting.”
Trump also said he thinks women should be tested to ensure that transgender athletes are not competing in the female category.
The first Federal funding for the 2028 Games came with the 4 July 2025 signing of H.R. 1, The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which appropriated $1 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support 2028 Olympic security needs.
A 7 March 2025 Executive Order established a White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Trump as Chair and Vance as Vice Chair and also operating out of the Department of Homeland Security.
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