California officials strongly condemned President Donald Trump after he suggested during a campaign rally in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego, calling his remarks “deranged” and “irresponsible.” Governor Gavin Newsom and mayors Karen Bass of Los Angeles and Todd Gloria of San Diego criticized the president for threatening American cities rather than protecting them. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended Trump’s comments by stating they reflected a hypothetical scenario where Iran would pose a nuclear threat to U.S. cities if not stopped, but California leaders dismissed this defense as unrealistic and dangerous.
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).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but all 3 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not 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 60172: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-06
California officials denounced President Donald Trump for saying at a campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego, calling his remarks “deranged” and “irresponsible.”
uncertain
Iran → denounce → remarks
In an apparent reference to the effect of the Iran war on U.S. prices, Trump said, “Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial.
asserted
it → say → war
It’s a little bit high.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
asserted
It → ’ → country
“They can take out a city.
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They → take → city
Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego,” Trump said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
asserted
Trump → let → crowd
California and the state’s leaders are a frequent target of Trump’s ire, particularly Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is widely viewed as potential 2028 presidential contender.
asserted
who → view → contender
In his comments at the rally, Trump appeared to be making light of the potential for Iran to attack major American cities.
asserted
Iran → appear → cities
In response to the backlash, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a post on X that the controversy “is not rooted in reality.”
asserted
controversy → say → reality
“He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” Cheung said.
asserted
Cheung → state → ?
Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”
asserted
Iran → have → nuclear
State and local officials rebuked the president over his comments.
asserted
officials → rebuke → 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,” Newsom said in a post to X. “He is deranged and dangerous.”
asserted
He → send → X.
The mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego also quickly responded to the president’s remarks.
asserted
mayors → respond → remarks
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, wrote on X that Trump’s “statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety.”
uncertain
statements → write → safety
“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” Bass wrote.
asserted
Bass → protect → lives
“In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”
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we → know → city
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, also a Democrat, said in a post to X that his city “is not collateral damage.”
“We are not expendable,” Gloria added.
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Gloria → say → X
“And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’
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we → pay → ?
In his remarks, Trump also said the war would be over “very soon,” something he has suggested dozens of times over the past several months.
uncertain
he → say → months
The president has argued that the war was necessary to ensure Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon.
uncertain
Iran → argue → weapon
California’s Democratic senators also condemned the president’s comments.
asserted
senators → condemn → comments
In a post on X, Sen. Alex Padilla accused Trump of “inviting an attack on U.S. soil, putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our servicemembers at risk while trying to get Americans to cheer for an attack on our own country.”
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Americans → accuse → country
“What kind of Commander in Chief does that?” Padilla added.
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Padilla → do → Chief
Sen. Adam Schiff hit back at Trump’s remark that the war would end soon.
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war → hit → remark
“How many times have we heard that promise?” Schiff wrote on X. “And if it means attacks on two major American cities in the process, he is not troubled by the cost.”
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he → hear → cost
California is considered a solidly blue state and its voters supported Trump’s Democratic opponents in all three presidential elections.
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voters → consider → elections
The Aporia
