At a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday, President Donald Trump tied his defense of the war with Iran to two California cities. Speaking at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds, he called the war a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” according to Newsweek.
He then said Iran could hit an American city and named the targets himself. “They can take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles. Let ’em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay,” Trump said.
Those lines spread quickly on social media. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria both answered on X, with Gloria writing, “Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
The officials pushed back on X
Bass wrote that the president had suggested a foreign government attack Los Angeles, and that the remarks could put the city at risk. “The President of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety,” she posted.
She also wrote, “The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives. In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”
Gloria’s post rejected the idea that his city could be treated as an acceptable loss. “San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk,” he wrote.
Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been floated as a 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, posted from more than one account. On his personal account, he wrote, “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. He is deranged and dangerous.”
His official government account carried a shorter line: “Disgusting and disqualifying.” A separate post from an account for his press office said, “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. And we will continue to remind folks of that every day.”
Xavier Becerra, who served as health secretary under former President Joe Biden and is now running for California governor, wrote, “Thirteen million Californians call LA and San Diego counties home. Their lives are not a ‘small price to pay’ or a punchline for Donald Trump.” The broader Iran conflict has drawn scrutiny from both parties, as Trump has dismissed the fighting’s toll on U.S. troops and its costs as “small potatoes.”
The criticism was not limited to Democrats. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Trump-endorsed Republican running for California’s 48th Congressional District, said he disagreed with the remarks even while backing a hard line on Iran.
“I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments. America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our Commander in Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland,” Desmond wrote.
Desmond, a Navy veteran, added, “As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war.” He went on, “Our job is to keep Americans safe, stand up to our enemies, and make sure a threat like that never becomes reality. No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”
Trump and California have clashed for years over immigration, crime, homelessness, and other policies he opposes. He has often pointed to the state as an example of what he describes as the shortcomings of Democratic governance, and he has repeatedly criticized Newsom and Bass.
Last year, he sent National Guard troops to Los Angeles during protests against his administration’s immigration crackdown. A federal judge later ruled that the administration violated federal law by sending those troops. Since Trump returned to office last year, California has filed dozens of lawsuits against the administration, including a recent case over a rollback of fuel efficiency standards for cars.
The November midterms in California will use a newly redrawn congressional map that could help Democrats pick up five U.S. House seats. Voters approved the map, which Newsom led last year, after Texas and other Republican-led states redrew their own boundaries at Trump’s urging. Republicans currently hold 219 House seats to Democrats’ 214.
The same election will choose a new governor, because Newsom is term-limited. Becerra, a former California attorney general, is running against former Fox News commentator Steve Hilton, who is hoping to be the first Republican elected to statewide office in California since 2006.
Published: Oct 6, 2026 10:15 am