LA28, White House Set Up Task Force ... Majeure?

Evening headlines of Aug. 4 perked up my ears and eyebrows as LA28 and The White House apparently are announcing an Olympic planning task force on Aug. 5. 

I wrote to The White House press office team to ask more, and here's the two statements they shared (their reply in less than five minutes did impress):

"During his first term, President Trump was instrumental in securing America's bid to host the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

Credit: Hisham Ibrahim for Getty Images

The President considers it a great honor to oversee this global sporting spectacle in his second term. 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," -- Karoline Leavitt [36th White House press secretary]

"On behalf of LA28, I want to express our deep appreciation to President Trump and his Administration 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. 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." -- Casey Wasserman, Chairperson and President of LA28. 

How concerning should this be? 

On one hand, as reported elsewhere and as observed firsthand or reading history around U.S. Olympic host organizing committees since Lake Placid 1980, the Games engaging the federal government is standard operating procedure. So, it makes perfect sense that LA28 teams up with the U.S. government for security, prepping eased entry to the U.S. for international guests, transportation and on other fronts. 

On the other hand, I don't recall any previous White House -- except for President Carter pulling Team USA out of the Moscow 1980 Games to lead/inspire what became a multinational boycott -- making "a thing" about their involvement with the Games. Rather, the modus operandi was seemingly on the down low, or perhaps so mundane as to warrant zero media coverage (though I did find online an archived May 1996 White House release from the office of the press secretary outlining preparations for Atlanta).

Karen Bass by Myung J Chun/LA Times

But the timing for tomorrow's shared LA28/Executive Branch ceremony is curiously, closely on the heels of Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass' recent comments critical of the president. The City of LA is in its own negotiation with LA28 regarding an array of agreements and funding (I won't try to summarize here but the LA Times did so on Aug. 2 at this link). 

The White House did provide previous reassurances of federal support, as reported when the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic officials met with the president this spring. 

Only Tuesday's ceremony with Wasserman, and time, will tell what the future holds for LA28, its federal support/input and how the president will engage. One hopes any presidential oversight will be only from a distance. 

Image credit: LA28 masthead via LinkedIn; The White House image by Hisham Ibrahim for Getty Images; LA28 logo mashup via TimeOut/LA28. Karen Bass photo by Myung J. Chun for LA Times.