At a Monday rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, President Donald Trump told the crowd that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego and it would be “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe.” The quote, in full: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” The crowd cheered. Los Angeles has 3.9 million people. San Diego has 1.4 million, including 115,000 active duty service members.
Gov. Newsom called Trump “deranged and dangerous.” Mayor Karen Bass said the statements “could potentially compromise our safety.” Mayor Todd Gloria: “San Diego is not collateral damage.” The White House later posted that Trump meant he was fighting Iran to STOP them from taking out LA and San Diego. This interpretation requires “Let them take out Los Angeles” to mean “do not let them take out Los Angeles.” Trump has repeatedly called his political opponents “treasonous” for suggesting the U.S. is not winning its conflict with Iran. There were no reports of the crowd not cheering.