President Donald Trump sparked outrage in California after telling supporters that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego during a campaign rally in Nebraska.
Speaking on Monday in Grand Island, Trump was discussing the economic cost of the war with Iran when he told the crowd that higher prices were “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities. This is not normal. None of this is. And we will continue to remind folks of that every day.
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) October 6, 2026
“They can take out a city,” said Trump. “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom quickly condemned the remarks, calling Trump “deranged and dangerous.”
“Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities,” Newsom’s office wrote on X.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also pushed back, saying, “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 wrote that his city was “not collateral damage” and “not expendable,” adding, “Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
San Diego 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.
— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) October 6, 2026
The comments came as Trump campaigned ahead of the November midterm elections and argued that the war with Iran would end soon.