Trump suggests Iran could ‘take out’ LA and San Diego; California officials condemn
Version 5: The White House publicly pushed back and a Republican candidate criticised the remarks, while Governor Newsom said he directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for possible threats.
In short
President Donald Trump said at a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego, calling the war with Iran “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” California Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks “deranged and dangerous,” and the mayors of both cities also condemned them. The White House said the controversy “is not rooted in reality,” while Newsom later said he directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for possible threats.
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President Donald Trump suggested during a political rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday night that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego. Trump said the war with Iran was “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” adding: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” He said the war “is going to be over very soon.” The crowd applauded, cheered or laughed, according to CBS News, The Guardian US, CNN, NBC News and PBS NewsHour. The Guardian US and CNN reported he told the rally he wanted a “tremendous victory” in the November midterm elections. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 13 , 19 ]
Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks “deranged and dangerous” in a post on X. His press office said the president was “advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote that “the role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said: “San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the remarks were “a shocking low, even for Donald Trump,” NBC News reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 19 ]
The White House pushed back. Communications director Steven Cheung said the controversy “is not rooted in reality” and that Trump “was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped.” CNN said it had reached out to the White House for more information on what Trump meant; The Seattle Times said it was “not immediately clear” what he meant, and Axios wrote that the White House’s insistence he was misunderstood “underscored the ambiguity of his meandering speech.” The Hill and the New York Post described the remarks as conditioned on Iran developing a nuclear weapon or as a joke, while other accounts did not include that condition. [ 9 , 13 , 15 , 16 ]
On Tuesday, Newsom said he directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for possible threats to California after Trump’s “invitation” for Iran to “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego, The Hill reported. He called the remarks “dangerous — if not treasonous.” The Guardian US reported that Republican San Diego congressional candidate Jim Desmond criticised the remarks, saying he “served to protect Americans, not write off American cities,” while Republicans have largely remained silent. [ 18 , 20 ]
CBS News noted Los Angeles is the country’s second-most populous city and home to the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command Headquarters and aerospace contractors including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, with Naval Base San Diego, Camp Pendleton and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado around San Diego. Axios, citing a 2025 San Diego Military Advisory Council report, said military bases across San Diego employ more than 136,000 active duty members and civilians. PBS NewsHour noted Trump’s history of denigrating U.S. cities and that Los Angeles was among the cities where he deployed federal military personnel. [ 1 , 13 , 19 ]
Why it matters
A sitting U.S. president suggesting that attacks on two of the country’s largest cities would be an acceptable cost drew condemnation from California’s governor, attorney general and the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego, and prompted the White House to say he was misunderstood. Newsom’s direction to the State Threat Assessment Center shows California officials treating the remarks as a security concern. The remarks came at a campaign rally ahead of the November midterm elections and deepen the confrontation the documents describe between the Trump administration and California.
Key facts
- Trump made the remarks at a political rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday night. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 13 , 14 , 19 ]
- Trump said the war with Iran was “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 13 , 19 ]
- Trump said: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 13 , 19 ]
- The crowd applauded, cheered or laughed after the suggestion. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 19 ]
- Governor Gavin Newsom called the president “deranged and dangerous” in a post on X. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 19 ]
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said a president’s role is to protect the country, not to “actively threaten it,” and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city is “not collateral damage.” [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 ]
- White House communications director Steven Cheung said the controversy “is not rooted in reality” and that Trump was stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran had not been stopped. [ 9 , 13 , 16 ]
- Newsom said he directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for possible threats to California and called Trump’s remarks “dangerous — if not treasonous.” [ 20 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Trump suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego during a rally in Nebraska. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 13 , 19 ]
- Trump described the war with Iran as “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 13 , 19 ]
- Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks “deranged and dangerous.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 19 ]
- The mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego also condemned the remarks. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 ]
- The rally took place in Grand Island, Nebraska; Trump said he wanted to see a “tremendous victory” in the midterm elections. [ 3 , 5 ]
- The crowd applauded, cheered or laughed after Trump’s suggestion about the two cities. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 9 , 19 ]
- White House communications director Steven Cheung said the controversy “is not rooted in reality” and that Trump was stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran had not been stopped. [ 9 , 16 ]
- Trump said the war “will be over very soon” or “it’s going to be over with very soon.” [ 3 , 5 , 19 ]
Still unclear
- What Trump meant by his comments about Los Angeles and San Diego, and whether he was joking. CNN said it reached out to the White House for more information on what Trump meant; The Seattle Times said it was “not immediately clear” what he meant; The Hill and the New York Post described the remarks as a joke or as conditioned on Iran getting a nuclear weapon, while Axios said the White House’s insistence he was misunderstood underscored the ambiguity of his speech.
- Whether Trump’s remarks were conditioned on Iran developing a nuclear weapon. The Hill and the New York Post reported the remarks were about Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, while other accounts do not include that condition.
- The exact time of the rally and of Trump’s remarks. Documents say only Monday night or Monday, without giving a clock time.
- The state of the war with Iran that Trump referred to at the rally. Trump called it a “small price to pay” and said it would end soon, but the documents give no further detail on its status.
- Whether other Republicans will join the criticism. The Guardian US reported that Republicans have largely remained silent, with one Republican candidate, Jim Desmond, cited as criticising the remarks.
- What California’s State Threat Assessment Center monitoring entails and any findings. Only The Hill reported Newsom’s direction to the center; no other outlet confirms it or provides details.
- Newsom said he directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for possible threats to California and called Trump’s remarks “dangerous — if not treasonous.” Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- CBS News reports Trump’s suggestion at the Nebraska rally, responses from Newsom, Bass and Gloria, and notes Los Angeles’ aerospace contractors and San Diego’s military installations. [ 1 ]
- The New York Times reports backlash in California, citing Newsom calling the president “dangerous and deranged.” [ 2 ]
- The Guardian US reports California leaders denounced Trump as “reckless” and “deranged,” and quotes his remark that “they can take out a city.” [ 3 ]
- CNN reports the backlash and says it reached out to the White House for more information on what Trump meant. [ 5 ]
- The Guardian US reports Newsom’s press office saying the president was advocating an attack on more than 10 million U.S. residents, and cites a Reuters/Ipsos poll putting Trump’s approval at a record low of 32%. [ 6 ]
- NBC News reports California officials’ condemnation and includes a White House response from communications director Steven Cheung, along with comments from Attorney General Rob Bonta. [ 9 ]
- Axios reports the backlash and the White House’s insistence that Trump was misunderstood, and notes San Diego military bases employ more than 136,000 active duty members and civilians. [ 13 ]
- The Seattle Times reports it was “not immediately clear” what Trump meant. [ 15 ]
- The Hill reports the White House pushing back on critics’ characterisation of the comments. [ 16 ]
- The Guardian US reports that Republican San Diego congressional candidate Jim Desmond criticised Trump’s remarks. [ 18 ]
- PBS NewsHour reports the crowd laughed and cheered, and notes Trump’s history of denigrating U.S. cities. [ 19 ]
- The Hill reports that Governor Newsom directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for possible threats to California after Trump’s remarks. [ 20 ]