Jim Jordan backs idea Trump should move 2028 Olympics from LA to red-run town

U.S. Representative Jim Jordan has expressed his support for President-elect Donald Trump to move the 2028 Olympics out of Los Angeles and relocate them to a city run by GOP lawmakers.

Jordan, a Republican who represents Ohio’s fourth congressional district, made the remarks while speaking on Newsmax on Tuesday. Rob Finnerty, a network host, asked him if he thought the games should be moved to a “red city where you know things are going to be run properly” like Dallas or Miami.

Yes, Jordan responded.

“I do think the American people rightly see how poorly that state is being run, how poorly these tragic fires have been handled by the governor and, of course, the mayor there in Los Angeles,” Jordan commented.

Jordan is not alone in his beliefs. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, too, said Los Angeles should lose the Olympics on social media this week.

California officials continue to face steep criticism in the wake of several fires impacting the Los Angeles area that have resulted in the deaths of at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of structures. Firefighters are currently battling the Palisades fire, Hurst fire and Eaton fire across Los Angeles County. The flames have scorched over 40,000 acres.

The Hurst fire was at 97 percent containment as of Wednesday afternoon, per Cal Fire, while the Eaton fire was at 45 percent containment and the Palisades fire was at 19 percent. Sixteen people have died in the Eaton fire and eight died in the Palisades fire, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom, both Democrats, are facing potential recalls over their handling of the wildfires, which began earlier this month. Newsom is bearing the brunt of social media accusations due to his position, while Bass is being blamed for cuts to the city’s firefighting budget.

According to city documents reviewed by CBS, Los Angeles’ fire department budget decreased by $17.6m between the 2024-2025 fiscal year and the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The cuts resulted in the elimination of 58 positions, sworn salary accounts and getting rid of one-time expenses, including new breathing equipment, the outlet reported.

Just a month before the fires ignited on January 7, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners that the budget cuts “have adversely affected the Department’s ability to maintain core operations.”

Area residents, notably Khloe Kardashian, have blasted Bass for the budget cuts, calling the mayor “a joke” on social media.

During a news conference this week, Bass said the cuts would not have impacted the department’s ability to handle the fires. In November, the city council approved a $203m four-year budget.

In the Newsmax interview, Finnerty raised concerns over whether the city would be capable of handling the 2028 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles is also due to host the Superbowl in 2027 and the soccer World Cup a year earlier.

It’s not immediately clear how much the city will need to spend to host the other two sporting events, but most cities that host them stand to benefit financially.

Los Angeles was awarded the Olympic Games in Lima, Peru in 2017 during an International Olympic Committee session. The city will need to raise $7bn to host the games, expected to bring in 15m visitors.

Speaking to The New York Times on the matter, Mike Bonin, a former Los Angeles City Council member, called the situation a “nightmare scenario.”

“It calls into question the city’s ability to deliver the Olympics,” he told the newspaper. “This is cause for elected officials to ask themselves the question: Is this something we can handle?”

The games are scheduled to be set at around 50 venues throughout the area, spreading from Temecula, 90 miles from Downtown Los Angeles, to the San Fernando Valley. Most of the venues already exist, so the financial burden of building new stadiums won’t be as strenuous.

But the city promised Olympic officials it would revamp and expand its transit system, including the city’s metro, to the tune of billions of dollars.

The Independent has emailed LA2028 for comment.

It’s not clear if Trump could move the Olympics to another city but Jordan said he would leave that decision up to the incoming commander-in-chief, who will be sworn in next week.