Trump plans White House task force on security for the 2028 L.A. Olympics
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- The executive order follows on Trump’s signature tax and spending legislation, which allocated $1 billion for security, planning and other costs for the L.A. Games.
- Casey Wasserman, chairperson and president of LA28, thanked the Trump administration for its ‘leadership and unwavering support’ for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics.
WASHINGTON — President Trump will order the establishment of a White House task force on Tuesday focused on security for the Olympics Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the president plans on creating the task force by executive order on Tuesday, telling The Times that Trump “considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle.”
“During his first term, President Trump was instrumental in securing America’s bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,” Leavitt said. “Sports is one of President Trump’s greatest passions, and his athletic expertise, combined with his unmatched 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 Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the privately funded nonprofit organization known as LA28 that is planning the Games, negotiate key issues including security costs.
The city of L.A. is negotiating with LA28 over the use of police, firefighters and other city employees during the 2028 Summer Olympics. LA28 must pay for any services that go beyond what would normally be provided.
The executive order follows on Trump’s signature legislation, referred to by the president as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” securing $1 billion for security, planning and other costs for the L.A. Games.
Casey Wasserman, chairperson and president of LA28, thanked the Trump administration in a statement “for their leadership and unwavering support as we prepare to deliver the largest and most ambitious Olympic and Paralympic Games ever hosted in the United States.”
“Since we secured this historic opportunity in 2017, President Trump has consistently recognized the magnitude of our responsibility in welcoming the world to Los Angeles,” Wasserman said. “The creation of this task force marks an important step forward in our planning efforts and reflects our shared commitment to delivering not just the biggest, but the greatest Games the world has ever seen in the summer of 2028.”
Los Angeles leaders are in negotiations with LA28 for the use of the city’s police, traffic officers and other employees during the Olympics and Paralympics.
Amid a corporate fundraising effort described as “going gangbusters,” 2028 L.A. Olympics organizers are confident the city will not have to pay for the Games.
Security, trash removal, traffic control, paramedics and more will be needed during the 17-day Olympics and the two-week Paralympics the following month.
Under the 2021 Games agreement between LA28 and the city, LA28 must reimburse the city for any services that go beyond what the city would provide on a normal day. The two parties must agree by Oct. 1, 2025, on “enhanced services” — additional city services needed for the Games, beyond that normal level — and determine rates, repayment timelines, audit rights and other processes.
Overtime for Los Angeles police officers, and any other major expenses, would be acutely felt by a city government that recently closed a nearly $1-billion budget deficit, in part by slowing police hiring.
Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.
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