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Trump says “let ’em take out Los Angeles, San Diego” in Iran war remarks
Коротко
US President Donald Trump said at a Nebraska rally that Iran could destroy a US city and that “they” should be allowed to “take out Los Angeles” and “take out San Diego,” calling higher wartime prices a “small price” to pay. California’s governor, the mayors of both cities and at least one Republican House candidate criticised the remarks. The White House said Trump was only describing the threat had Iran not been stopped, and blamed the media for the uproar.
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US President Donald Trump said at a Nebraska rally that “they” could destroy an American city and that Los Angeles and San Diego should be left to that fate, drawing criticism from California officials and from members of his own party, according to Yonhap, Hankook Ilbo and NoCut News. Speaking on 5 October in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump described the higher fuel and fertiliser prices caused by the war with Iran as “a small price to pay,” then said: “They could take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego.” Yonhap said he did not specify whom he meant by “they,” but that because the remark came while he was justifying the Iran war, it was read as referring to Iran. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The three outlets reported that Trump has argued the war was needed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and that US cities would have been at risk otherwise. Hankook Ilbo and NoCut News described the conflict as one Trump started; Yonhap referred to US military operations against Iran without attributing their initiation. Hankook Ilbo noted that San Diego hosts home ports for Pacific Fleet surface ships and carrier strike groups and is a base for Navy SEALs, and that both Los Angeles and San Diego are led by Democrats. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
California officials reacted sharply. Governor Gavin Newsom said on X that Trump was “unhinged and dangerous,” adding: “You sent the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, and now you’re telling our foreign enemies to ‘destroy’ Los Angeles and San Diego.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the US president had proposed that a foreign government attack her city and that his words were dangerous and could potentially threaten public safety. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the city is “never a ‘small price to pay’” and called on Trump to keep it out of his “reckless war remarks,” with Hankook Ilbo reporting that he demanded a formal apology. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The criticism spread into Republican ranks. Jim Desmond, a Republican candidate for the US House in California whom Hankook Ilbo said Trump has endorsed, said he strongly opposed the remarks and that no American city can be expendable. Hankook Ilbo, citing Reuters, also reported that Republican Representative Kevin Kiley said there is no evidence Iran could strike California and that the remarks did not help. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The White House pushed back. Yonhap reported that the White House said on X that Trump had only been speaking about the Iranian threat and blamed “hallucinating media” for a controversy “with no basis in reality,” adding that Trump had made clear US cities would have been threatened had Iran’s nuclear programme not been stopped. Hankook Ilbo quoted White House communications director Stephen Cheung as saying the media uproar was not grounded in reality and that, thanks to Trump, “America is safe and Iran has no nuclear weapons, no navy, no air force and no money.” [ 1 , 2 ]
The documents place the episode in the run-up to the November midterm elections. Hankook Ilbo said early voting had already begun in California and that Republican candidates in competitive districts moved quickly to distance themselves from Trump; NoCut News said the remark is expected to become a major liability for the party; Yonhap said some observers see it as another setback in the midterms. Hankook Ilbo also noted that the New York Times pointed to Trump’s habit of moving between topics, which it called “the weave,” as a recurring source of controversy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
The remarks touch on domestic US security and the November midterm elections, and the documents show pushback from both Democratic officials in California and Republican candidates in the state, suggesting political fallout rather than a purely rhetorical dispute. The White House’s defence keeps the argument focused on the justification for US military action against Iran, which the documents present as an ongoing political and economic issue in the United States.
Ключевые факты
- At a rally in Nebraska on 5 October, Trump said higher fuel and fertiliser prices caused by the Iran war were “a small price to pay,” adding: “Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump did not specify whom “they” referred to; the documents interpret the remark as referring to Iran because it came while he was defending the war. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- California Governor Gavin Newsom said Trump was “unhinged and dangerous” and accused him of telling foreign enemies to destroy LA and San Diego. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the US president had suggested a foreign government attack her city; San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the city is “never a ‘small price to pay’” and demanded an apology. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Republican House candidate Jim Desmond, who the Hankook Ilbo said was endorsed by Trump, said he strongly opposed the remarks and that no American city can be expendable. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The White House said the media reaction was not grounded in reality and that Trump had made clear US cities would have been threatened had Iran not been prevented from obtaining nuclear weapons. [ 1 , 2 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- Trump said at a Nebraska rally that “they” should be let “take out Los Angeles” and “take out San Diego,” and called the war’s price effects “a small price to pay.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump did not name whom he meant by “they.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Newsom called Trump “unhinged and dangerous” and linked the remark to earlier deployment of National Guard and Marines to California. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria publicly criticised the remarks, with Gloria demanding an apology. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Republican California House candidate Jim Desmond opposed the remarks. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The White House said the remarks concerned the Iranian threat and that media coverage was not based in reality. [ 1 , 2 ]
Пока неясно
- Whom Trump meant by “they” in the remark The documents say Trump did not specify, and that US and Korean media interpreted it as Iran because of the context of his defence of the war; the interpretation is not confirmed by Trump himself.
- Whether Iran could actually strike US cities Hankook Ilbo quotes Republican Representative Kevin Kiley saying there is no evidence Iran could hit California, while the White House says US cities would have faced a threat without action against Iran; the documents do not resolve the disagreement.
- How the remarks will affect the November midterm elections Yonhap attributes the midterm fallout to observers, Hankook Ilbo says the backlash has spread into Republican ranks and NoCut News says it is expected to be a major liability; these are forecasts, not results.
- Whether the Iran war was initiated by Trump Hankook Ilbo and NoCut News describe it as a war he started, while Yonhap refers to US military operations against Iran without attributing their initiation.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- At a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump defends wartime price rises as “a small price to pay” and says “Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Newsom, Bass, Gloria and Republican candidate Jim Desmond criticise the remarks; Hankook Ilbo also cites Republican Representative Kevin Kiley opposing them. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- White House communications director Stephen Cheung says media hype is not grounded in reality and that Trump was underlining the threat had Iran not been stopped. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Yonhap publishes its report on the remarks and the California reaction. [ 1 ]
- Hankook Ilbo publishes its report on the backlash and the White House response. [ 2 ]
- NoCut News publishes its report on the remarks ahead of the November midterms. [ 3 ]