At a campaign rally in Nebraska on October 5, 2026, President Donald Trump stated, They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego,
a comment that drew immediate backlash. Trump framed the remarks as part of a broader argument about the Iran war, claiming higher gas prices were a small price to pay for keeping the world safe.
Trump’s Remarks and Context
The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account later clarified that Trump was not advocating for attacks but warning about the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped,
the post read, citing White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.
Trump’s remarks occurred amid a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, where he emphasized the economic impact of the Iran war. He claimed, It’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe,
and later repeated the phrase This is a very small price to pay,
according to multiple reports. The comments were part of a broader pattern of rhetoric, including earlier statements where Trump compared potential nuclear threats to Mobile, Alabama, and referenced gas prices as a very small thing compared to allowing them to have
nuclear weapons.
California Leaders Condemn the Comments
Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump’s remarks deranged and dangerous,
accusing the president of putting a target on two of our biggest cities.
Newsom directed the state’s emergency preparedness center to actively monitor
for potential threats, stating, The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities.
He also linked the comments to recent federal deployments, writing, 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.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria denounced the comments, writing, San Diego is not collateral damage.
We are not expendable.
He emphasized the city’s military significance, noting that San Diego is home to 115,000 courageous active duty servicemembers and their families.
Gloria added, And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.
Other California leaders joined the criticism. Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla accused Trump of inviting an attack on U.S. soil
and putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our servicemembers at risk.
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, whose district includes San Diego, wrote, My constituents — including many active duty service members, veterans, and their families — are not acceptable collateral damage in Trump’s stupid war.
Reactions from White House and GOP Figures
Some Republicans distanced themselves from Trump’s rhetoric. GOP congressional candidate Jim Desmond, who serves on the San Diego County board of supervisors, said, What Trump did was ‘write off American cities as an acceptable price of war.’ Desmond ‘vehemently’ disagreed with it.
He added,
As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war.
Other GOP figures, however, remained silent or supportive. The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account defended Trump’s remarks, stating, The president was simply speaking to his belief that confronting Iran is worth it to eliminate the threat to our country and named two cities as an example of what could happen if we don’t act, not as an invitation for them to be attacked.
Broader Implications and Unanswered Questions
Trump’s comments also reignited debates about the economic and military costs of the Iran war. While he framed higher gas prices as a small price to pay,
Democrats argued the rhetoric risked destabilizing public trust. The incident highlighted the tension between national security messaging and the potential for inflammatory language to escalate tensions. For example, Sen. Bernie Sanders accused Trump of suggesting the annihilation of two major American cities
as a small price to pay,
while Sen. Chris Murphy called the remarks such a sick, evil thing to say.
The event also raises concerns about the role of military installations in the debate. San Diego, a major U.S. military town, hosts the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.