Trump says Iran could ‘take out’ Los Angeles or San Diego, drawing backlash

President Donald Trump suggested to a crowd of his supporters in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” a major US city like Los Angeles or San Diego, drawing a swift rebuke from California’s Democratic leaders and some fellow Republicans.

Trump, speaking at a political rally in the state’s farm belt on Monday, discussed American wartime economic sacrifices and said he was determined to “see a tremendous victory, because it verifies all the things we did”.

“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 in Grand Island, Nebraska, apparently referring to rising prices of fuel, fertiliser and other products attributed to energy market disruptions from the war.

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, for keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it’s going to be over with very soon,” 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.”

On Tuesday, the White House dismissed criticism of the remark.

“The media freakout over ⁠President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung said in a social ‌media post.

“America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”

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.

The comment in rural Nebraska, a state Trump 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.

Monday’s ⁠comments prompted a backlash from California officials.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, 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 ‌said on social media.

Newsom, who has positioned himself as a major political foil to Trump and is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, juxtaposed a video clip of Trump in Nebraska with mention of the president’s previous rhetoric to justify deploying US military troops to ‌Los Angeles ‌and other cities to fight crime and enforce immigration.

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.

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.

One of ⁠the Republicans running in a competitive race in a redrawn California district near San Diego, Jim Desmond, distanced himself from Trump’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 said on social media.

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

US congressman 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 Trump’s comment “could potentially compromise our safety”.

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, including Naval Base San Diego, the largest on the United States’ west coast.

“My constituents – including many active-duty service members, veterans, and their families – are not acceptable collateral damage in Trump’s stupid war,” US congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a Democrat, said in a social media post.