Trump sparks outrage for saying Iran could ‘take out' Los Angeles or San Diego

State and local officials called the president’s remarks "deranged" and "irresponsible." The White House said Trump's comments have been misrepresented.

President Donald Trump sparked backlash from local and state leaders in California after saying at a campaign rally that Iran can “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego as a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe.”

Speaking at a midterm rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump mentioned the ongoing war with Iran and the resulting higher gas prices as he sought to defended U.S. military action in the Middle East. The president also said the conflict will “end very soon” but failed to provide a timeline.

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," he said of the war and the ensuing economic fallout. "They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay and it’s going to be over very soon. It’s essentially almost over with, and they might keep going a little long, you know? They always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it, let me tell you, they need it. But it’s going to end very soon. It will end one way or another.”

The remarks drew quick condemnation from California leaders and beyond.

Gov. Gavin Newsom responded in a post on X, describing Trump as “deranged and dangerous.”

“After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego. He is deranged and dangerous.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also denounced Trump’s remark, writing on X that the president's “statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety.”

“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” Bass wrote. “In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”

The White House tried to clarify Trump's comments, saying the president was not insinuating that he wanted Iran to attack U.S. cities but was protecting them by preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

"The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote in a statement on X in response to the backlash. "He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."

Still, at least one Republican politician shared Newsom’s interpretation.

“As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war,” said Jim Desmond, the Republican congressional nominee in a metro San Diego district. He added that “no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also condemned the president's comments, rejecting any suggestion that the city's residents should be viewed as collateral damage in a broader geopolitical conflict.

"San Diego is not collateral damage," Gloria wrote. "We are not expendable. And we are never a 'small price to pay.' Keep our city out of your reckless war talk."

California Sen. Alex Padilla accused Trump of inviting an attack on U.S. soil and putting servicemembers at risk.

“At least 19 servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice in Trump’s unauthorized war with Iran — including Noah Tietjens of Nebraska," Padilla wrote on X. “Now Trump is in Nebraska inviting an attack on U.S. soil, putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our servicemembers at risk while trying to get Americans to cheer for an attack on our own country. What kind of Commander in Chief does that?”

As he campaigns, Trump often criticizes U.S. cities that lean heavily Democratic. California is considered a solidly blue state and its voters overwhelmingly supported Trump’s Democratic opponents in all three presidential elections he ran. Still, more than 1.18 million people in Los Angeles County voted for Trump in the 2024 election.