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American representative Jim Jordan expressed his support for the newly elected president Donald Trump move to 2028 Olympic Games out of Los Angeles and move them to a city run by GOP lawmakers.
Jordan, a Republican who represents Ohio’s 4th congressional district, made the remarks while speaking on Newsmax on Tuesday. Rob Finnerty, the network’s host, asked him if he thought the games should be moved to a “red city where you know things are going to go right” like Dallas or Miami.
Yes, Jordan replied.
“I think the American people rightly see how badly the country is being run, how badly these tragic fires were handled by the governor and, of course, the mayor in Los Angeles,” commented Jordan.
Jordan is not alone in his beliefs. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk also said Los Angeles should lose the Olympics on social media this week.
California officials still face harsh criticism after several fires that affected the Los Angeles area resulting in the death of at least 24 people and the destruction of thousands of buildings. Firefighters are currently battling the Palisades, Hurst and Eaton fires across Los Angeles County. The flames engulfed over 40,000 hectares.
The Hurst fire was 97 percent contained Wednesday afternoon, according to Cal Fire, while the Eaton fire was 45 percent contained and the Palisades fire was 19 percent contained. Sixteen people died in the Eaton fire and eight in the Palisades fire, according to the medical examiner’s office.
The mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsomboth Democrats, face potential impeachment over their handling of the wildfires, which began earlier this month. Newsom bears the brunt of social media criticism for his position, while Bassa has been blamed for cuts to the city’s firefighting budget.
According to city documents he reviewed CBSThe Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget was cut by $17.6 million between fiscal year 2024-2025 and fiscal year 2023-24.
The cuts led to the elimination of 58 jobs, a sworn wage bill and a waiver of one-time costs, including new breathing equipment, the agency said.
Just a month before the fires broke out on Jan. 7, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners that budget cuts have “adversely impacted the Department’s ability to maintain essential operations.”
Area residents, especially Khloe Kardashian, blasted Bass for the budget cuts, calling the mayor a “joke” on social media.
During a press conference this week, Bass said the cuts would not affect the department’s ability to handle fires. In November, the city council approved a four-year budget of $203 million.
In an interview with Newsmax, Finnerty expressed concern about whether the city will be able to handle the Summer Olympics in 2028. Los Angeles is also slated to host the 2027 Superbowl and the soccer World Cup a year earlier.
It’s not immediately clear how much a city will have to spend to host the other two sporting events, but most cities that host them will benefit financially.
Los Angeles was awarded the 2017 Olympic Games in Lima, Peru at a session of the International Olympic Committee. The city will need to raise $7 billion to host the games, which are expected to attract 15 million visitors.
I’m talking to The New York Times for that matter, Mike Bonin, a former member of the Los Angeles City Council, called the situation a “nightmare scenario.”
“It calls into question the city’s ability to host the Olympics,” he told the newspaper. “This is a reason for elected officials to ask: Is this something we can solve?”
Games are planned to be staged at about 50 locations throughout the area, stretching 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 will not be that heavy.
But the city has promised Olympic officials a billion-dollar overhaul and expansion of its transit system, including the city’s subway.
The Independent has emailed LA2028 for comment.
It was unclear whether Trump might move the Olympics to another city, but Jordan said he would leave that decision up to the new commander-in-chief, who will be sworn in next week.