Trump suggests he would let Iran ‘eliminate’ Los Angeles or San Diego | California

California leaders have denounced Donald Trump as “reckless” and “deranged” after the US president suggested Iran could “eliminate” Los Angeles and San Diego – two liberal blue-state cities that have been a frequent target of his administration.

At a rally in ruby-red Nebraska Monday night, Trump told supporters he hopes to see a “huge victory” in the fast-approaching November midterm elections. He then suggested that the high costs of war with Iran were “a small price to pay to keep the world safe – to keep our country safe.”

“They can destroy a city,” Trump said on Grand Island. “Let them eliminate Los Angeles. Let them eliminate San Diego.” The crowd applauded.

“It will be over soon,” Trump said of the war.

The governor and city mayors quickly condemned these comments. “After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump now says our foreign enemies should ‘eliminate’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said on X. “He is deranged and dangerous.”

Newsom, a Democrat who repeatedly clashed with Trump during his two terms, said in his press office: “Let’s be clear: The president is advocating an attack on more than 10 million American residents in two of America’s largest cities. This is not normal. None of this is. And we will continue to remind people of that every day.”

Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, criticized the president for making what she called “irresponsible threats” that “could potentially compromise” the security of the second-largest city in the United States.

“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” she said in a statement.

Todd Gloria, San Diego’s mayor, said his city was “not collateral damage” in the president’s war. “We are not replaceable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay,'” he wrote on X. “Keep our city away from your reckless war talk.”

San Diego, the nation’s eighth-largest city, is home to critical U.S. military infrastructure.

Online, the comments — part of a rambling speech lasting nearly an hour and a half — sparked a debate about what the president actually meant. Was it a crude joke about two blue cities or had he, perhaps accidentally, leaked classified intelligence on potential Iranian targets?

Some conservative activists argued that Trump, in his elliptical way of speaking, was referring to high gas prices when he said it was a “small price to pay,” not Iran’s ability to “take out” an American city.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. defense officials have previously said that Iran does not currently have the capability to launch a direct missile attack on the U.S. mainland.

Trump has argued in previous speeches that allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon would threaten American cities. In his latest State of the Union address, he claimed that Iran was working to build missiles that would “soon” reach American soil.

In Nebraska, where a surprisingly close Senate race has roiled Republicans, Trump insisted he was “doing great” and urged his supporters to pretend his name was on the ballot in November’s vote. But in California, where Steve Hilton, the Republican gubernatorial candidate backed by Trump, is seeking to spring a surprise, the president’s comments were not welcome.

“Thirteen million Californians call Los Angeles and San Diego counties home,” said Xavier Becerra, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who has sought to take up the anti-Trump mantle worn by the outgoing Newsom. “Their lives are not a ‘small price to pay’ or a guideline for Donald Trump.”