Trump says Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego

President Donald Trump's comment that Iran could "take out" a major US city like Los Angeles or San Diego has sparked backlash from Californians.

Mr Trump, speaking at a political rally in Nebraska on Monday, said gas prices were only temporarily high and worth it as part of his war on Iran.

"And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial, it's a little bit high, it's a small price to pay," he told the crowd, referring to rising prices of fuel.

"They could take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego"

he said.

"It's essentially almost over with," Trump went on. "But it's going to end very soon, and it's going to end one way or the other."

The White House defended the president's remark, saying the president was stating that US cities would have been threatened by Iran if he had not launched the war.

Mr Trump has shrugged off cost-of-living concerns stemming from the Iran conflict before, and he previously downplayed his concerns about the potential for Iran or its allies to launch an attack on US soil.

Californians condemn Trumps comments

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who may run for president in 2028, denounced the Republican president 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 wrote on X.

One of the Republicans running in a competitive race in a redrawn California district near San Diego, Jim Desmond, distanced himself from the president's remarks.

"I vehemently disagree with President Trump's comments. America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our Commander in Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland," he wrote on X.

"No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage."

US Representative Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans and is running for re-election in a competitive race in northern California, said in a statement that Trump's comment was "unhelpful".

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, said in a statement that his comment "could potentially compromise our safety".

Early voting underway in California

The comment in Nebraska, a state the Trump administration won with more than 55 per cent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election, targeted Democratic-run cities in California, a solidly Democratic state the president often criticises.

California's early voting for the November midterm elections started on Monday.

The president's Republican Party has hoped to win more races in the state in recent years, including this year's gubernatorial election.

Mr Newsom championed the redrawing of California's congressional map last year to favour Democrats in this year's election after Trump pushed for conservative-led Texas to redraw its map to boost Republicans.

Los Angeles and San Diego rank as the largest and second-largest cities in California by population.

More than 115,000 active-duty service members are also stationed in San Diego.

"My constituents — including many active duty service members, veterans, and their families — are not acceptable collateral damage in Trump's stupid war," US Representative Sara Jacobs, a Democrat, said in a social media post.