Trump Questions NFL's Decision to Play Paris Game Amid Unrest

Former President Donald Trump expressed skepticism regarding the National Football League's decision to proceed with the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints game in Paris, citing ongoing civil unrest and protests that have strained local security forces. He suggested that the league could have opted to postpone the event.

Paris police had requested a postponement of a Paris Saint-Germain soccer match due to the limited availability of police and security personnel, a situation exacerbated by mass protests and the NFL game. Despite this, the NFL maintained its plan for the Steelers-Saints game.

"It's looking like tomorrow is going to be a bad day in France, so you worry about it," Trump told reporters. "I would've said the NFL could've probably postponed that match... France is really in trouble."

Trump also linked the situation to his criticisms of certain domestic policies, stating, "That's what happens when you go left. That's what happens when you allow unlimited numbers of people into your country from very unfriendly countries."

The NFL had stated that the Paris Saint-Germain game's postponement did not influence their decision regarding the Steelers-Saints matchup. However, the league acknowledged that security for the Paris game had been a significant topic of discussion. The Steelers organization also canceled a fan event in the area.

Organizers of protests in Paris had secured a court's permission to proceed with a demonstration, agreeing to keep it stationary to mitigate the risk of violence. This followed clashes between protesters and police, looting, and car torching that occurred the previous weekend.

Earlier in the week, Dani Watt, wife of Steelers player T.J. Watt, publicly questioned the decision to hold the game amid the unrest. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed he would attend the game and had discussed the matter with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who indicated the American embassy in France believed the game would proceed safely.