Trump Says Iran Could ‘Take Out’ Los Angeles or San Diego

Political leaders in Democrat-run California have reacted with fury after US president Donald Trump suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego. Speaking at a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday, October 5, Trump said that higher prices including at the gas pump due to the war against Iran were “a small price to pay” for the added security he said the war would bring the US and the world. He then added, “Let them [Iran] take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego,” as some people in the crowd cheered. The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February, with Trump saying the war was necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Writing on X following the president’s comments in Nebraska, California governor Gavin Newsom called Trump “deranged and dangerous.” Newsom’s press office account added, “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.” Also writing on X, Todd Gloria, the mayor of San Diego, said San Diego was “not collateral damage.” In a written statement, LA mayor Karen Bass said, “The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives.” She added on X, “keep LA out of your damn mouth.”