US official says Trump 'talking to FIFA' about moving World Cup games out of Democratic cities

US President Donald Trump's chief of protocol said Friday that he is engaged in talks with FIFA about moving World Cup matches out of Democratic-led cities.

"President Trump is very concerned about some of these blue cities, high crime rates, and he's talking to FIFA," Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley said during an interview with the Fox Business television network. Democrats are associated with the color blue.

"No decisions have been made, but he wants to make sure that all foreign visitors, as well as American fans, are well-protected as they go to enjoy these world-class sporting events in America," she added.

Crowley did not specify which cities the president is addressing in his talks with the football federation, but Trump has repeatedly alleged that Democratic-led cities are crime hotspots, regardless of what official crime data indicates.

The allegations have repeatedly been used by the president to justify deployments of the military to US streets. Those deployments have repeatedly been met with setbacks following legal challenges from state and local leaders.

Nearly all of the US cities hosting World Cup matches are heavily Democratic, with the exception of Dallas and Miami. All nine other host areas—Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay Area—are run by Democrats.

Matches will also be played in Canada and Mexico.

Over 2 million tickets have already been sold, according to Crowley.