US President Donald Trump has formed a task force to oversee the planning and execution of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, aiming to ensure the event is "safe, seamless and historically successful." The Games, which will mark the first time the US has hosted the Olympics since Salt Lake City in 2002, are being treated as a major priority for the Trump administration as part of its legacy on the global stage.
During the signing of the executive order at the White House, Trump emphasized the significance of the event for the country and pledged that every measure would be taken to safeguard it, including potential deployment of the National Guard or military. The order instructs the task force to coordinate with federal, state, and local agencies on areas such as security, visa processing, and credentialing for athletes and visitors.
President Trump will personally chair the task force, with Vice President JD Vance as vice chair. Other key figures include Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Trump was joined at the announcement by Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin and Paralympian Brad Snyder.
The president also praised Gene Sykes, chair of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, for the committee’s stance on banning transgender women from competing in women’s events—a statement that drew mixed reactions in the room. Trump doubled down, declaring that the US would not “let men steal trophies from women” at the Games.
Highlighting the significance of sports in American culture, Trump noted that the Olympics and the 2026 FIFA World Cup—being jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico—represent major milestones. The White House stated that sports are among Trump's “greatest passions,” and LA28 officials, including president Casey Wasserman, welcomed the federal involvement as a critical step in planning.
Wasserman gifted Trump with commemorative medals from the 1984 LA Olympics, to which Trump jokingly asked whether he could claim to have “won them athletically.” The moment captured both his enthusiasm and his desire to associate his leadership with the upcoming Games.
In a related development, the US, Canadian, and Mexican governments held their first trilateral meeting to coordinate security and logistics for the 2026 World Cup, further underscoring the North American focus on upcoming international sporting events.
