By Rory Carroll

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman on Friday defended President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to name himself head of a White House task force for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, saying it reflected the federal government’s commitment to the Games.

“The president naming himself the chair is unique, but I think it shows the importance of this event to the president and the federal government, which just validates their support and their commitment to delivering these Games with us,” Wasserman told Reuters.

Noting that then-Vice President Al Gore chaired the White House task force for the 1996 Atlanta Games, Wasserman said, “This is not a new concept… This is business as usual.”

Trump, a Republican, said this week he would lead the task force to deliver a “safe, seamless and historically successful” Olympics to California’s largest city, a stronghold of the opposition Democratic Party.

The Los Angeles Times, in an editorial on Thursday, called for the city to pull out of the Games due to Trump’s involvement, citing the administration’s deportation blitz in the region.

Wasserman was in Washington as Trump signed the executive order on Tuesday creating the task force, which is meant to help coordinate security, transportation, visa processing and other issues related to the 2028 Games.

“This administration and the whole force of the federal government has truly been consistently engaged, supportive and responsive,” Wasserman said. “That’s all you could ask for with what we’re trying to do.”

He said the organizers, working with 36 federal agencies, need a unified federal effort rather than “piecemeal” engagement.

Trump has not shied away from the glare of the sports spotlight during his second term.

In May he created a presidential task force for soccer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

In February Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl and last month he was on the field in New Jersey to celebrate Chelsea’s win in the FIFA Club World Cup.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by William Mallard)