The Guardian
· collected 2026-10-06 · by Lauren Gambino in Los Angeles
During a rally in Nebraska, former President Donald Trump suggested that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego if necessary to keep America safe, implying high gas prices were a small price for security. This comment elicited strong criticism from California leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom and the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego, who denounced Trump’s remarks as reckless and dangerous. The article focuses on the political fallout and public reaction to Trump’s controversial statements about Iran and US cities.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At a campaign rally in Nebraska, President Donald Trump suggested letting Iran “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego, implying that allowing such an attack would be a small price to pay for national security. The president's comments came amidst discussions about high gas prices linked to tensions with Iran. Both cities have significant military installations, including Naval Base San Diego and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, making them crucial defense hubs. Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, strongly condemned Trump's remarks as "deranged and dangerous," emphasizing that the role of a president is to protect American lives rather than encourage attacks on cities. Mayors of both Los Angeles and San Diego also criticized the suggestion, underscoring their importance to national security beyond being just major population centers.
Written for “Trump Iran Comments” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 3 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 59473: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-06
Leaders in California have sharply denounced Donald Trump as “reckless” and “deranged” after the US president suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego – two liberal cities in the blue state that has been a frequent target of his administration.
uncertain
that → denounce → administration
At a rally in ruby red Nebraska on Monday night, Trump told supporters that he hoped to see a “tremendous victory” in the fast-approaching November midterm elections.
asserted
he → tell → elections
He then suggested high prices due to the war with Iran were a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe – keeping our country safe”.
uncertain
prices → suggest → country
“They can take out a city,” Trump said in Grand Island.
asserted
Trump → take → Island
“Let them take out Los Angeles.
asserted
them → let → Angeles
Let them take out San Diego.”
asserted
them → let → Diego
The crowd applauded.
asserted
crowd → applaud → ?
“It’ll be over very soon,” Trump said of the war.
asserted
Trump → say → war
The governor and the cities’ mayors quickly condemned the comments.
asserted
governor → condemn → comments
“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,” the California governor, Gavin Newsom, said on X.
asserted
governor → send → Angeles
Newsom, a Democrat who has repeatedly clashed with Trump over his two terms, said from his press office account: “Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities.
asserted
President → clash → cities
And we will continue to remind folks of that every day.”
asserted
we → continue → that
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, assailed the president for making what she called “irresponsible threats” that “could potentially compromise” the safety of America’s second-largest city.
uncertain
that → assail → city
“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” she said in a statement.
asserted
she → protect → statement
Todd Gloria, the mayor of San Diego, said his city was “not collateral damage” in the president’s war.
asserted
city → say → war
And we are never a “small price to pay,” he wrote on X “Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
asserted
he → pay → talk
Online, the comments – part of a rambling, nearly hour-and-a-half speech – set off a debate about what the president actually meant.
asserted
president → set → what
Was it a crude joke about two blue cities or had he, accidentally perhaps, disclosed confidential intelligence about potential Iranian targets?
asserted
he → disclose → targets
Some conservative activists argued that Trump, in his elliptical way of speaking, was referring to high gas prices when he argued that it was a “small price to pay”, and not the capacity of Iran to “take out” a US city.
asserted
it → argue → city
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
asserted
House → respond → comment
US defence officials have previously stated that Iran currently lacks the capability to launch a direct missile attack on the US mainland.
asserted
Iran → state → mainland
Trump has argued in previous speeches that allowing Iran to develop a nuclear weapon would threaten US cities.
asserted
Iran → argue → cities
In his last state of the union speech he claimed that Iran was working to build missiles that would “soon” reach US soil.
asserted
that → claim → soil
In Nebraska, where an unexpectedly close Senate race has rattled Republicans, Trump insisted that he was “doing great” and urged supporters to pretend like his name was on the ballot when the vote in November.
asserted
name → rattle → November
But in California, where Steve Hilton, the Republican gubernatorial candidate endorsed by Trump, is seeking an upset, the president’s comments were unwelcome.
asserted
comments → endorse → upset
“Thirteen million Californians call LA and San Diego counties home,” said Xavier Becerra, the Democratic nominee for governor who has sought to take up the anti-Trump mantle carried by the outgoing Newsom.
asserted
who → call → Newsom
“Their lives are not a ‘small price to pay’ or a punchline for Donald Trump.”
asserted
lives → pay → Trump
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