President Trump, speaking at a campaign rally on Monday, suggested that Iran could “eliminate” Los Angeles and San Diego, a comment that was possibly in jest but prompted a swift reaction from leaders in California. Trump said he wanted to “see a tremendous victory” in the November election, “because it verifies all the things that we did. And again, remember, with war it’s just artificial, it’s a little high.” “It’s a small price to pay to keep the world and our country safe,” he continued. “They can destroy a city, let them eliminate Los Angeles, let them eliminate San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.” The crowd cheered. His comment was met with criticism from California leaders, including at least one San Diego Republican candidate endorsed by Trump. Gavin Newsom posted on Then, from 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.” “San Diego is not collateral damage,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria posted. “We are not expendable and we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of his reckless war speeches.” Trump made the comments during a rambling speech in which he said gas prices would drop soon, touted his overthrow of Venezuela’s dictator and attacked the media. He was in Grand Island, Nebraska, encouraging residents of the deep red state to vote as if he were on the ballot. United States In March, Iran launched missiles toward Diego Garcia, an island in the Indian Ocean that hosts a strategic military base between the United Kingdom and the United States. The Associated Press reported at the time that Iran had self-imposed a limit on its ballistic missile program, limiting the range to 1,240 miles. Diego García is well outside that range. However, US officials have long alleged that Iran’s space program could allow it to build intercontinental ballistic missiles. Also in March, law enforcement agencies across California were warned that war with Iran could lead to a surprise drone attack in the Golden State. But sources told the Times there is no credible intelligence to support it and officials said they did not take it seriously. Trump has long had a strained relationship with Los Angeles, where he struggled to gain traction for his business ventures. In 2019, he took a highly publicized trip to San Diego to promote his border wall. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement called Trump’s comments “dangerous” and said they could “potentially compromise our safety.” the country, not actively threatening it, and encouraging attacks on American lives,” he said. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also criticized Trump for his comments Monday night, writing in X: “The president says the Iran war will end ‘very soon.’ How many times have we heard that promise? And if that means attacking two major American cities in the process, he’s not worried about the cost.” Democrat Xavier Becerra, the gubernatorial front-runner who spent decades representing the Los Angeles area in Congress, said on X: “Thirteen million Californians call Los Angeles and San Diego counties home. “Their lives are not a ‘small price to pay’ or a joke to Donald Trump.”
