La Olympique adds Republicans with ties to President Trump to board

LA28, the committee behind the upcoming Olympics, quietly added a top Republican with deep ties to President Trump to its board of directors.

The 35-member volunteer board now includes former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican who is stepping down in 2023, and Reince Priebus, who served as Trump’s chairman for the first six months of his first term and, before that, as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Diane Hendricks, a major GOP donor who has given millions of dollars to Trump’s campaigns, and Patrick Dumont, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, also joined the board, as did Ken Mullis, an investment banker who worked with Trump in the 1990s and predicted he would win the presidency in 2016.

Trump’s move closer to the board of directors, first reported by Politico, is the latest sign of the president’s possible involvement in the 2028 Games.

It is not clear why the directors expanded the board or what criteria they used in the selection process. A spokesperson for LA28 did not immediately respond to questions.

Kevin McCarthy

(Associated Press)

Not all new board members are connected to the president. Los Angeles business consultant Danita Willoughby and philanthropist Maria Hammer-Tuttle were also named to LA28.

“We are thrilled to welcome this talented group to the LA28 board to help create unforgettable games for athletes and fans alike,” organizing committee chair Casey Wasserman said in a prepared statement.

Wasserman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Although previous presidents have played a largely ceremonial role in hosting the Olympics on US soil, there are signs that Trump is looking to get more involved. The 2028 Games coincide with his final year in office.

In August, he signed an executive order naming himself the director of the White House task force on gaming. According to a statement from the White House, the president sees the meeting as “the first opportunity to demonstrate American exceptionalism.”

Trump mentioned at the time that he wanted to send the military to Los Angeles to protect the games. In June he sent the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city amid immigration enforcement measures, prompting pushback from Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Wasserman attended the signing of the executive order at the White House and thanked Trump for “leaning in” to planning for the Olympics.

“You have been supportive and helpful every step of the way,” Wasserman told the president. “By creating this task force, we have opened up the opportunity to plan and deliver the biggest and, yes, biggest games for our nation.”