Gavin Newsom, Jim Acosta and more ripped into Donald Trump Monday evening after the president appeared to dare Iran to “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego in a rally speech.
The controversy arose after Trump attempted to defend the ongoing military operation in Iran, telling rally attendees in Grand Island, Nebraska that it was a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
“They can take out a city,” Trump said. “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay. And it’s going to be over with very soon. It’s … almost over with – and they might keep going a little long. You know, they always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it. Let me tell you. They need it. But it’s going to end very soon. And it will end one way or the other.”
It didn’t take long for Trump’s remarks to circulate on X, prompting a big reaction from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“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,” Newsom wrote on X while sharing a clip of Trump’s comments. “He is deranged and dangerous.”
Veteran journalist Jim Acosta expressed a similar sentiment, writing on X, “The crowd starts to applaud as Trump fantasizes about LA and San Diego being wiped out by a nuclear attack. WTF. This is not normal.”
Additionally, Carrie Coon, the star of HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” pointedly wrote, “Can we take the keys away from Grandpa yet?”
While several of Trump’s supporters defended that the president was joking with the comment, several other X users made it clear they did not find the remark funny.
For a full round-up of reactions to Trump’s comment, keep reading. A representative for the White House did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
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