Kathrine Frich
Urban did not hold back.
Political rallies serve as a testing ground for unfiltered ideas.
Speakers feed off the energy of the crowd and try out lines to see what gets the loudest applause.
Going off script, however, carries major risks. One recent political detour is now generating serious backlash.
Shock in Nebraska
Donald Trump drew intense scrutiny during a recent stop in Nebraska. The president spent part of his speech defending the financial pain American drivers are feeling at the pump, according to HuffPost.
He blamed the surging fuel prices on his ongoing conflict with Iran. It seemed standard enough. Then, his casual mention of a potential domestic disaster quickly caught the media’s attention.
The president argued that expensive fuel is a necessary trade for global security. “It’s a little bit high,” Trump told the crowd. He claimed the conflict stops Iran from launching strikes.
“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
Not so artful
David Urban quickly distanced himself from the comments. Urban worked as a senior adviser for the winning Republican campaign in 2016, and he recently discussed the speech on CNN.
During the broadcast, news anchor Anderson Cooper pressed the strategist on the president’s controversial choice of words. “How did you interpret the ‘take out’ LA remark?” Cooper asked.
Urban did not hold back. “I do think it was a clumsy, sloppy kind of statement,” Urban answered.
Crude remarks
“Obviously, he’s riffing there. I think that this administration’s intention the entire time has been to preclude Iran from getting a nuclear weapon so that it could do anything against any U.S. city in the future.
“And so, while it was crude and kind of rough and tumble and he kind of laughed about it, I don’t think the president meant it.”
“As he goes on these riffs, Anderson, sometimes they’re not so artful,” he said. “This is one of those instances.”
Walking it back
Trump has largely ignored the controversy. Reporters asked him about the remarks, but he dismissed the inquiry with a simple wave of his hand.
White House officials soon stepped in to clarify the situation. They stated the president was merely describing a hypothetical scenario where a “nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped.”
Public reaction remains divided. Several television pundits condemned the remarks as careless, while a fact checker on CNN defended the underlying point, AP reported.
