The president said his administration would protect U.S. cities following backlash for suggesting Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego
President Donald Trump sought to add context Wednesday to controversial remarks he made earlier this week regarding Iran potentially attacking Los Angeles and San Diego, saying that his administration would not allow such an attack to happen.
While campaigning in San Antonio for Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Trump revisited comments he made earlier in the week suggesting that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego if it developed a nuclear weapon.
“We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. “We protect our cities. We protect our country.”
The comments came after Trump drew criticism during a campaign rally he attended in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday. After discussing the war with Iran and current gas prices, Trump referenced the two Southern California cities.
“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let ‘em take out Los Angeles. Let ‘em take out San Diego,” Trump said. “This is a very small price to pay and it’s going to be over very soon.”
In a social media post, California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticized Trump’s comments, calling him “deranged” and “dangerous.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also took to social media to say the president’s comments were “dangerous” and could “potentially compromise our safety.”
https://twitter.com/MayorOfLA/status/2107315868493557945?s=20
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Following the backlash, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on social media that the president’s comments were being misunderstood. Cheung said Trump was referring to the threat U.S. cities could have faced if Iran developed a nuclear weapon.
https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/2107449747002810417?s=20