President Donald Trump suggested that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego if it were allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, drawing condemnation from California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called the remarks “deranged and dangerous.”
Trump’s comments during a political rally in Nebraska on Monday come in the wake of two foiled terror plots in recent weeks, including an attack on an Israel-bound passenger flight in the Middle East and a potential attack on a U.K. airbase used by the U.S. Air Force. On Monday, prior to the rally, Trump said an Iran-linked threat to the base prompted the U.S. to move its bombers elsewhere.
The investigations into both incidents remain underway, but politicians have drawn tentative links to Tehran. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran played a role in alleged plot that would have targeted the base. Trump said he “personally” believes Iran was behind the attempt to hijack the flight. Neither Burnham nor Trump offered further details to support their statements.
In his speech on Monday, Trump sought to assuage concerns about the economic impact of the Iran war, calling it a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe” and “keeping our country safe.”
Defending his war effort, Trump suggested that if Iran was to develop a nuclear weapon, they could “take out” an American city. He then went a step further, singling out two Democratic-led cities in California.
“Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego.” The crowd cheered at the remarks.
Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States, while San Diego is home to several major American military installations, including the Naval Base San Diego — principal homeport of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Trump then pivoted back to his messaging on the war, assuring the crowd that the conflict was a “small price to pay” in the grand scheme of things and that the war was “essentially almost over with.” “And they might keep going a little long. You know, they always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it, let me tell you they need it. But it’s going to end very soon, and it’ll end one way or the other,” he added.
The remarks drew swift condemnation from state leaders, including Newsom and the cities’ mayors, and at least one Republican running for Congress in a battleground district.
Jim Desmond, a Republican running for an open congressional seat representing parts of San Diego County, condemned the remarks on social media.
“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,” Desmond, a Navy veteran, wrote. “No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”
Newsom, who has often sparred with the president, repeatedly condemned Trump’s remarks Monday night, calling them “disgusting and disqualifying” in a second social media post. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Trump’s remarks “dangerous” and suggested they could “potentially compromise our safety.”
“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” Bass said in a statement on social media. “In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria similarly denounced Trump, saying that his city “is not collateral damage.”
“We are not expendable,” Gloria wrote, telling Trump to “keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications, addressed the criticism on Tuesday, saying, “The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”
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