California officials criticize Trump over remarks on destroying two cities
In short
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized US President Donald Trump after he said at a Republican rally that he would not regret the destruction of Los Angeles and San Diego. Newsom's office called the remarks “not normal,” and Bass said they were dangerous. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the words “reckless,” while the White House said it had explained the remarks, according to a headline that gave no details.
Read the full story 2 min read
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized US President Donald Trump over his remarks that he would not regret it if enemies of the United States destroyed Los Angeles and San Diego, Interfax reported, citing US media. [ 3 ]
According to Interfax, Trump made the comments at a Republican rally in Nebraska on Monday evening while speaking about the US conflict with Iran. “They can wipe a whole city off the face of the earth. Let them wipe Los Angeles off the face of the earth. Let them wipe San Diego off the face of the earth,” Trump said, and the crowd responded with approving shouts, the outlet reported. Interfax said the rally was held in support of Republican Senator Pete Ricketts ahead of the midterm elections, and that polls showed Ricketts facing unexpectedly strong competition from independent candidate Dan Osborn. [ 3 ]
Newsom's press service said: “Let's be clear: the president is calling for an attack on more than 10 million US residents in the two largest cities in America. This is not normal. All of this is not normal. And we will remind people of this every day.” Bass said Trump had suggested a foreign government could attack Los Angeles, adding: “His remarks about our city are dangerous and could potentially put our safety at risk. The role of the president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and incite attacks on American lives.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the words “reckless,” saying: “San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable material... Don't drag our city into your reckless talk of war.” [ 3 ]
TASS and RIA Novosti reported that Newsom called the president dangerous, and RBC said the governor wrote on X that Trump was unbalanced and dangerous. A separate RIA Novosti headline said the White House explained Trump's remarks about the “destruction” of Los Angeles and San Diego; no detail of that explanation was available in the documents. Interfax noted that California is considered one of the strongholds of the Democratic Party, which opposes Trump and his Republican Party. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The exchange sets a state-level Democratic leadership in California against the Republican president over remarks about possible attacks on two major US cities. It also lands in the middle of a US midterm election campaign, where Trump was rallying for a Senate candidate in Nebraska. The documents give no indication of any policy or security consequence beyond the statements themselves.
Key facts
- US President Donald Trump said at a Republican rally that he would not regret it if Los Angeles and San Diego were destroyed, according to the outlets' accounts of his remarks. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized Trump over the remarks, with TASS and RBC reporting that he called the president dangerous. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Newsom's press service said the president was “calling for an attack on more than 10 million US residents in the two largest cities in America,” Interfax reported. [ 3 ]
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Trump had suggested a foreign government could attack Los Angeles and that his remarks were dangerous, according to Interfax. [ 3 ]
- San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the president's words “reckless” and said San Diego was “not collateral damage,” Interfax reported. [ 3 ]
- Interfax reported that Trump made the remarks at a Republican rally in Nebraska on Monday evening in support of Senator Pete Ricketts ahead of the midterm elections, in the context of the US conflict with Iran. [ 3 ]
- RIA Novosti reported in a headline that the White House explained Trump's remarks about the “destruction” of Los Angeles and San Diego. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- What the White House said in explaining Trump's remarks. RIA Novosti's headline says the White House explained the comments, but no summary or article text with its content is available.
- Trump's exact wording and the reference to the US conflict with Iran. Only Interfax quotes the remarks and gives the rally context; the other documents describe them without the wording or setting.
- The criticism by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. Both statements appear only in the Interfax article, making them single-source claims.
- The exact date, time and city of the Nebraska rally. Interfax says only that it took place on Monday evening in Nebraska; no precise location or time is given.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS publishes a report that California Governor Gavin Newsom sharply criticized Trump and called him dangerous. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that the governor of California condemned Trump's words about destroying two cities. [ 2 ]
- Interfax publishes the fullest account, quoting Newsom's press service, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and Trump's remarks at the Nebraska rally. [ 3 ]
- RIA Novosti reports in a headline that the White House explained Trump's remarks about the “destruction” of Los Angeles and San Diego. [ 4 ]
- RBC reports that California called Trump dangerous, citing Newsom's post on X. [ 5 ]