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Some of President Donald Trump’s most frequent media critics are turning on Democrats’ latest attack on the president, rejecting claims that Trump suggested Iran should “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego.
“Trump’s point here is that if he didn’t start a war with Iran, then San Diego and LA would be at risk from nuclear war,” wrote The Atlantic writer Michael Scherer on X.
Trump was discussing the war with Iran and the threat of Tehran obtaining a nuclear weapon during a Nebraska rally on Monday before invoking Los Angeles and San Diego.
“They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay,” Trump said.
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U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up an appearance at a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center on the Nebraska State Fairgrounds on Oct. 5, 2026 in Grand Island, Neb. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The remarks quickly triggered a fight over what Trump meant, with Democrats and multiple media outlets characterizing them as a suggestion that Iran be allowed to attack the two California cities.
One of the accounts amplifying the clip, Headquarters (@HQNewsNow), previously operated as “KamalaHQ” after originally serving as the Biden campaign’s “BidenHQ” rapid-response account.
Several prominent journalists who have frequently scrutinized Trump are pushing back on Democrats’ latest attack on the president, rejecting claims that Trump suggested Iran should “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego.
“This isn’t a direct quote from Trump, and I very much don’t think it’s a correct paraphrase. Trump has repeatedly argued that the consequences of the war, like higher gas prices, are a small price to pay compared to what an unchecked Iran could allegedly do,” CNN fact checker Daniel Dale said.
“My read: The “small price to pay” comment refers back to the costs of the war — like gas prices — not to the idea of Iran nuking LA and SD,” wrote CNN senior reporter Aaron Blake.
“Unpopular opinion: I don’t think Trump was suggesting letting Iran to attack ‘blue cities.’ I think he meant if Iran gets a nuke, LA and San Diego could be targets considering they’re two major West Coast cities,” wrote former Trump staffer turned Biden voter Sarah Matthews.
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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he departs the White House on the South Lawn in Washington, DC, US, September 26, 2026. (REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon)
Democrats quickly seized on clips and quotes from Trump’s rally, claiming he was suggesting Iran should be allowed to attack two California cities.
“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,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“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,” said California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra.
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U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“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. 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,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Deranged. Delusional. And soon to be defeated. Calling millions of Americans collateral damage in his illegal war that nobody asked for takes a special kind of depravity, the kind only a man as weak and feeble as Donald Trump could sink to,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“This is such a sick, evil thing to say. Especially because he’s not saying this as a joke. Just as sick that his supporters are laughing at it,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung addressed the “media freakout,” saying critics’ claims are “not rooted in reality.”
“He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money,” Cheung wrote on X.
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“No, he didn’t, you buffoons. He was saying the U.S. is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon — which they would if they had the chance,” clarified the White House Rapid Response account.