Trump says Iran “can take Los Angeles and San Diego”: Now Californian governor fires mercilessly back

President Donald Trump’s attempts to defend the war with Iran have become increasingly complicated as Americans face rising gasoline prices ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The president insists that the economic consequences are worth accepting if military action prevents Iran from posing a greater threat to the United States.

But his efforts to make that argument have produced a fierce confrontation with California’s Democratic leadership.

During two campaign rallies this week, Trump repeatedly invoked the possibility of Iranian missiles striking Los Angeles or San Diego, prompting accusations that he was using frightening scenarios involving American cities to justify the war.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has now responded with a message that leaves very little room for diplomatic interpretation.

Newsom has four words for Trump

The latest confrontation followed Trump’s appearance at a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday.

After the president revisited the prospect of missile attacks on California, Newsom’s press office published a blunt response on X.

“Shut the f— up (please),” the account wrote.

The governor also issued a statement through his personal account, accusing Trump of attempting to frighten voters into supporting Republican candidates.

“Trump thinks he will scare people into voting for MAGA candidates by threatening the bombing of over 16 million Americans. He has lost his mind,” Newsom wrote.

His comments followed a series of presidential remarks that had already provoked criticism earlier in the week.

Trump sparks controversy over California cities

The dispute began Monday at a Republican campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Trump was discussing the economic impact of the war with Iran, particularly the increase in gasoline prices.

He argued that Americans should regard those costs as a necessary sacrifice to protect national security.

“Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial. It’s a little bit high,” Trump told supporters.

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”

The president then offered a hypothetical scenario involving two major American cities.

“They can take out a city—let ’em take, let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. That’s—this is a very small price to pay.”

His wording immediately attracted criticism, with opponents questioning why the president appeared to suggest allowing an enemy to attack American territory.

Los Angeles and San Diego are home to millions of residents, with their combined metropolitan populations exceeding 16 million.

The White House quickly disputed the interpretation that Trump was advocating an attack.

According to its Rapid Response account on X, the president was describing the danger that American military action was intended to prevent.

“He was saying the U.S. is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon — which they would if they had the chance.”

The administration maintained that Trump was warning about a potential threat rather than endorsing it.

President repeats controversial language

Wednesday’s rally in San Antonio gave Trump another opportunity to clarify his position.

Instead, the president returned to the same hypothetical attacks while campaigning for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

He acknowledged that gasoline prices had increased, describing the rise as “a little more, maybe more than a little.”

Trump also claimed that Americans were paying less for gasoline than during Joe Biden’s presidency.

According to figures cited from AAA, the national average for regular gasoline stood at $4.36 per gallon on Wednesday.

The president then asked the audience to imagine the consequences of an attack on American cities.

“You want to see trauma? You want to see problems?” Trump said.

“And I said it the other day, let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. Let them hit… you want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles, and you want to see some bad things happen, you want to see a country that would be in freefall.”

Trump followed the remarks with an explicit assurance that his administration would prevent such attacks.

“We’re not gonna let that happen. We protect our cities, we protect our country. We’re not letting that happen.”

The clarification established that Trump was describing a scenario he said his administration intended to stop.

Nevertheless, his decision to repeat the language that had already caused controversy prompted another round of criticism.

Democrats demand accountability

Newsom’s furious response was followed by criticism from the Democratic Party, which called for the conflict with Iran to end.

“Trump just said it again: Let Iran hit Los Angeles or San Diego. Disgusting and dangerous. End the war and hold him accountable,” the party wrote on X.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the president’s language.

She argued that Americans should not be left questioning whether their own president was threatening cities within the country.

“We should not be in a position where we are questioning whether or not the President of the United States is threatening cities in his own country,” Bass wrote.

The mayor also revealed that she had contacted Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia, the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, about investigating the remarks.

“Although late in Washington, D.C., I called Congressman Garcia, Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to investigate the dangerous threats the President has encouraged this week against Angelenos. We will always stand together.”

Bass’s intervention raised the prospect of congressional scrutiny, although the source report did not establish that a formal investigation had begun.

This article is made and published by Nicolai H, who may have used AI in the preparation