Donald Trump Nebraska rally comments on Monday in Nebraska put Los Angeles and San Diego at the center of his attack on Iran. He said, “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego,” then called it “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
Trump added, “And again, remember, with the war, it’s just artificial.” He also said, “They can take out a city. Let them take – let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That’s – this is a very small price to pay, and it’s going to be over with very soon. It’s essentially almost over with.”
California response
Gavin Newsom called Trump “deranged and dangerous” and put the state's threat-assessment centre on alert after the remarks. Forty-three members of Congress from California also called on the president to apologise.
Chris Murphy called the comment “such a sick, evil thing to say,” while Bernie Sanders said Trump was talking about the “annihilation of two major American cities.” Their criticism came as the remarks spread beyond Nebraska and into a wider reaction over how to read the line about Iran and the two cities.
White House response
Steven Cheung said Trump “was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped.” Aaron Blake called the remark “incoherent, not malicious,” offering a different read on the same line.
Most Republicans stayed silent after the comments. Whether Trump meant the line literally, rhetorically, or as a clumsy explanation is still the open question, and the next public response from The White House will likely shape whether the episode stays a rally quote or turns into a larger fight over his Iran message.
