President Donald Trump ignited a political firestorm at a campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday after suggesting that Iran could “take out” a major American city such as Los Angeles or San Diego — and calling the cost of the war with Iran a “small price to pay.” The Trump Iran Los Angeles remark drew swift condemnation from California’s Democratic leaders and criticism from at least one fellow Republican, even as the White House insisted the comments were being misrepresented.
Trump made the comments while addressing supporters at a midterm-election rally at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, about a month before the November midterm elections. According to reporting by Reuters and The Japan Times, the president was discussing American wartime economic sacrifices when he said he was determined to “see a tremendous victory, because it verifies all the things we did.”
What Trump said about Iran and US cities
“And again, remember, with the war, it’s just artificial, it’s a little bit high, it’s a small price to pay,” Trump told the crowd, apparently referring to rising prices of fuel, fertilizer and other products attributed to energy market disruptions from the US-Israel war with Iran.
He continued: “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.”
“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.”
According to CNN, Trump has repeatedly argued that high gas prices are a “small price to pay” for the war in Iran, and his Nebraska comments appeared to contrast that economic cost with a dramatically higher one — an attack on a US city. The remarks were widely interpreted as a warning that the cities could have been vulnerable if Iran had obtained a nuclear weapon.
Trump Iran Los Angeles remark draws Newsom, Bass backlash
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat widely viewed as a leading critic of the president, swiftly denounced the remarks on social media.
“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,” Newsom wrote. “He is deranged and dangerous.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the statements about her city “could potentially compromise our safety.” She added, “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, also a Democrat, said his city “is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
The criticism was not limited to Democrats. Jim Desmond, a Republican congressional candidate in the San Diego area, said he “vehemently” disagreed with the president’s comments. “No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage,” Desmond wrote on social media, according to Newsmax.
White House pushes back on the criticism
On Tuesday, the White House dismissed the backlash. White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung wrote in a social media post: “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.”
“America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money,” Cheung added.
Trump Iran Los Angeles remark comes amid war and economic strain
The comments arrive in the eighth month of the US-Israel war with Iran, which began on February 28 with American and Israeli strikes. According to a Reuters report published October 6, Trump said on Tuesday that “nobody” knew who was running Iran, telling reporters: “Their leaders are gone, their second group of leaders are gone, and the biggest problem I have is nobody knows who the hell is running the country.”
The prolonged conflict has pushed fuel prices higher and weighed on the economy — a growing political liability for Trump and his party. Reuters reported that his approval rating has held at a record low amid concerns about the high cost of living spurred by soaring gasoline and diesel prices, with the midterms roughly a month away and control of Congress at stake.
Trump has previously shrugged off inflation concerns tied to the Iran conflict and downplayed the risk of an attack on US soil. The controversy follows other divisive Trump moves this week — the president also approved the firing squad method for the execution of Nidal Hasan in a decision that itself sparked debate.
What happens next
Trump said the war would end “very soon,” offering what he has framed as an optimistic timeline even as diplomatic progress remains elusive. On Tuesday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington knows “very well” who its counterpart is in Iran, rejecting Trump’s claim about the country’s leadership vacuum.
Meanwhile, the political fallout from the Nebraska remarks appears likely to linger, with California’s leaders framing them as reckless and the White House framing them as a defense of the war’s necessity — a split that sets the tone for the final weeks of the midterm campaign.
FAQ
What did Trump say about Iran and Los Angeles?
At a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday, President Trump said Iran could “take out” a major US city and added, “Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego,” calling the war’s costs a “small price to pay,” according to Reuters and The Japan Times.
Who condemned the Trump Iran Los Angeles remark?
California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump “deranged and dangerous,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the remarks “could potentially compromise our safety,” and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told Trump to “keep our city out of your reckless war talk.” Republican congressional candidate Jim Desmond also said he “vehemently” disagreed.
How did the White House respond?
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the “media freakout” was “not rooted in reality,” arguing Trump was “clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped.”
How long has the US-Israel war with Iran been going on?
According to Reuters, the conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran and is now in its eighth month. Fuel prices have risen amid the conflict, and Trump’s approval rating is at a record low ahead of the November midterms.
Sources: Reuters, The Japan Times, CNN, USA Today
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