Trump Suggests Iran Could "Take Out" Los Angeles and San Diego — "Let Them Take Out Los Angeles. Let Them Take Out San Diego."

At a Republican midterm rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, President Trump suggested that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego as a "small price to pay for keeping the world safe." Speaking about the ongoing war with Iran (now in its eighth month) and the resulting higher gas prices, Trump said: "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego." The remark drew immediate condemnation from California leaders: Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump "deranged and dangerous," noting the comments came "after sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California." The U.S. Conference of Mayors issued a formal statement condemning the remarks as an "attack on Los Angeles and San Diego." When asked to explain the comment two days later (Oct 8), Trump refused — swatting away the question. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung claimed Trump "was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped" — a walk-back that contradicts the plain text: "let them" is permission, not prediction. This follows Trump's pattern of suggesting violence against American cities and Democratic-led states (National Guard deployment to Los Angeles, Marines on American streets, withholding disaster aid from California), escalating from dog-whistle to explicit suggestion that a foreign adversary attack his own citizens.