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This is interesting. Donald Trump recently held an event in the Oval Room to promote the FIFA Pass, “an expedited visa” which a foreign ticket holder needs if they expect to enter the US and watch the games with the least amount of fuss or uncertainty. During the event, Trump also insulted Seattle’s progressive mayor-elect Katie Wilson and threatened to both harm the region’s economy and disgrace one of the most famous brands in the world, FIFA.
Trump: “If we think there’s a problem in Seattle, where we have a very, very liberal-slash-communist mayor, certainly beyond just liberal…. I watched her over the weekend… wow, that’s another beauty we got there. But if we think there’s gonna be another problem, we’re gonna move this event to another place where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.” We’ll skip the sexist comment and consider the threat and its meaning.
The threat is not new. It was made in September, before the brazenly pro-police Bruce Harrell’s defeat (more cops, more money for cops, and so on). Trump’s apparent reason for renewing the threat on November 16: Seattle elected a “communist.” As you can see, if you are pro-cop or a commie doesn’t matter to the president. So, what’s this really about?
You will miss the whole point of the man’s second term if you remove his wallet from the plot. He is doing exactly what all dictators do. They expect a cut of any massive flow of money entering (and also exiting) their country’s economy. If a dictator suspects they are out of the loop, they make a lot of noise. When investors or corporations smell the coffee, they ask the dictator: “What is the price of certainty in your country?” And the dictator replies: “Talk to this man,” who usually stands next to them. The investors/company talks to this man, and when this man tells the dictator what’s what, and the dictator is satisfied, provides the best certainty money can buy.
Now, Seattle, break this down.
1) We are not in the middle of a crime wave. Murder rates have never really spiked. There is, in other words, no crisis.
2) FIFA is an institution with a lot of bank and a contract with Seattle. So, if Trump pulled the plug, Seattle would simply take FIFA to court for breaking a contract that was settled years ago. (Also, Seattle already made huge investments, such as the one at Sea-Tac International Airport, to meet its side of the contract.)
It’s not Seattle that has a lot to lose, but FIFA, an organization that’s familiar with the semiotics of dictators and will face, for the 2030 games a lot of cities that will not believe the ink that dried in this and that document. What must FIFA do? Find a way to make Trump happy. And Trump is all about his wallet. Ask the billionaires who are paying for the White House’s ballroom, which I predict will never be completed.