During a campaign event Monday in Nebraska, President Donald Trump, after saying gas prices would come down after the war with Iran ends “very soon,” said “they can take out a city” and suggested Los Angeles and San Diego as options.
“And again, remember, with the war, it’s just artificial. It’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” Trump said. “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, and it’s going to be over with very soon. It’s essentially almost over with. And they might keep going a little long, you know, they always say they have a big threshold for pain.”
The visit to Nebraska, which Trump said is part of a 32-day blitz of rallies ahead of the Nov. 3 election, saw the president campaigning alongside GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is running against an independent candidate backed by national Democrats.
The statement about the Southern California cities came soon after the president told the crowd, “we’re kicking Iran’s ass.”
“One way or the other it’s going to end very soon and your prices are going to come tumbling… all your prices have been tumbling down. In fact, oil is less than it was under (President Joe) Biden, so you understand, and we are saving this country from a problem, and the Middle East, and Israel and everybody. We’re saving the world from what could be one of the worst tragedies ever; we’re not going to let them have, they won’t have — that’s decided — they will not have a nuclear weapon. They understand that.”
He added that the Navy is doing a great job in helping get oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’re taking more oil out of the Strait now than we did before the war,” Trump said. “It’s amazing what our Navy has done, what our military has done. We have the greatest military in the world, and I built it during my first term.”
The president’s remarks come as San Diego is in the spotlight just days before the expected return Thursday of the USS Abraham Lincoln after one of the longest and most grueling deployments since World War II.
Several state and local leaders took to social media Monday night to repost footage of the speech and share their thoughts on Trump’s mention of the California cities, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California,” said a post from Newsom on X. “Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom’s post said. “He is deranged and dangerous.”
Sen. Alex Padilla posted about the war and questioned Trump as commander in chief.
“At least 19 service members have made the ultimate sacrifice in Trump’s unauthorized war with Iran — including Noah Tietjens of Nebraska,” said a post on X from Padilla. “Now Trump is in Nebraska inviting an attack on U.S. soil, putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our service members at risk while trying to get Americans to cheer for an attack on our own country. What kind of Commander in Chief does that?”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also posted on the platform, saying San Diego is “not collateral damage.”
“We are not expendable,” said the post. “And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
At the event, Trump also signed an executive order to ease limits on the tax-free use of red-dyed diesel, a decision he said would save “millions” for farmers and drive down the cost of all goods with just four weeks to go until the elections. Diesel fuel prices have spiked in the aftermath of the Iran war, rattling voters and putting pressure on Republicans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.