Up to date Oct. 6, 2026, 6:11 p.m. ET
A remark by President Donald Trump throughout a marketing campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday sparked rapid backlash from California leaders after he advised Iran may “take out” a U.S. metropolis with a nuclear weapon, and talked about San Diego and Los Angeles.
Talking at a midterm-election rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump argued Individuals ought to settle for the financial affect, most notably greater gasoline costs, ensuing from the Iran warfare.
“It is a small value to pay for protecting the world protected, protecting our nation protected,” he mentioned. “They’ll take out a metropolis. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. It is a very small value to pay.”
The remarks rapidly circulated on-line, drawing sharp condemnation from California officers who portrayed Trump’s feedback as an invite to assault these cities or downplaying such an assault, even because it appeared Trump was warning the cities may very well be weak if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon. The White Home mentioned Trump’s remarks have been about safeguarding Individuals.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on social media by linking Trump’s feedback to the administration’s latest deployments of federal forces into California.
“After sending the Nationwide Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our overseas enemies ought to ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom wrote. “He’s deranged and harmful.”
White Home Communications Director Steven Cheung, on Tuesday morning mentioned Trump was speaking about defending Individuals by stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
“He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” Cheung mentioned on social media. “America is safer due to the President.”
Los Angeles and San Diego are California’s two largest Southern California metropolitan areas and collectively are dwelling to tens of millions of residents, main army installations, worldwide commerce hubs and demanding financial infrastructure. There is no such thing as a proof Iranian weapons have the vary to assault the continental United States or the ability to obliterate complete U.S. cities.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria additionally condemned the president’s feedback.
“San Diego shouldn’t be collateral harm,” Gloria wrote. “We’re not expendable. And we’re by no means a ‘small value to pay.’ Preserve our metropolis out of your reckless warfare discuss.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in an announcement, referred to as Trump’s remarks “harmful,” saying they may “doubtlessly compromise our security.”
“The position of a president is to guard the nation, to not actively threaten it and encourage assaults on American lives,” Bass wrote on X.
California Sen. Adam Schiff blasted Trump’s feedback Monday, questioning if the president could be troubled by an assault on two American cities.
The controversy provides to ongoing tensions between Trump and California’s Democratic management, which have intensified over immigration enforcement, Nationwide Guard deployments and federal-state clashes all through the president’s second time period.
(Extra info was added to this story.)
