White House responds to backlash over Trump's ‘take out’ LA, San Diego remarks
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.(Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images)
The White House is pushing back against backlash over President Trump’s comments about attacks on California cities, saying his remarks were misunderstood, and the reaction was "not rooted in reality."
The backstory:
In a campaign rally Monday, President Trump was discussing the Iran war and high gas prices, then continued into a mention on the possibility of an Iran attack on U.S. soil. He then suggested that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego.
"It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," Trump said on Monday at the rally in Grand Island, Nebraska. "They can take out a city — let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay."
What they're saying:
Several critics spoke out, including California Gov. Gavin Newsome who called Trump "deranged and dangerous."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also took to social media, also calling the president’s comments dangerous, saying that the safety of the city could be compromised, "The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives," Bass said. "In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city."
Speaking up on behalf of San Diego, members from both sides of the aisle spoke up. U.S. Representative Sara Jacobs, a Democrat said, "My constituents — including many active duty service members, veterans, and their families — are not acceptable collateral damage in Trump’s stupid war."
Jim Desmond, a Republican congressional nominee from San Diego, also took issue with the statements, saying, "As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war," Desmond said. "No American family should ever be treated as collateral damage."
The other side:
In the White House’s response, Communications Director Steven Cheung, dismissed the responses, saying the freakout over the president’s comments were not "rooted in reality."
"He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped," Cheung said. "America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."
Big picture view:
Los Angeles and San Diego are the largest and second-largest cities in California by population.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Reuters, The Associated Press and comments by Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director on his X account. This story was reported from Orlando.