Trump’s Iran Remark About Los Angeles and San Diego Draws Bipartisan Rebuke

President Donald Trump’s suggestion at a Nebraska rally that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, according to the Guardian. Reaction in San Diego, a city with a heavy military presence, was especially strong.

The Guardian reported that Trump made the remark before a cheering crowd on Monday night. The sources do not include his exact words beyond that phrase, and the article does not describe any response from the White House.

What critics in California and beyond are saying

Gov. Gavin Newsom called the comments dangerous and possibly treasonous. He said they put a target on two of the biggest cities in the country and on one of the largest naval hubs in America, the Guardian reported.

Jim Desmond, a Republican naval veteran running for a congressional seat in San Diego, also pushed back on X. He said he served to protect Americans, not to treat American cities as an acceptable cost of war. He added that no American city is expendable.

Gil Field, communications director for San Diego Veterans for Peace, a group that opposes the war, said the statement was so irrational that it was hard to interpret. To him, it sounded as though Trump was willing to give up the city. He said a military town produces bipartisan objections.

In Los Angeles, a hair stylist who gave only her first name, Jessica, said the remarks marked a new low. She asked not to be fully identified out of concern for her Mexican-born parents. Jens Midthun, a downtown resident and president of the neighborhood council who spoke in a personal capacity, said the comments showed the president was fixated on California.

Why San Diego took it personally

The Guardian said San Diego is home to roughly a quarter-million veterans and has one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the country. A report released last year found the military supports nearly 357,000 local jobs, representing $61.3bn of the county’s economy.

Defense spending makes up 22% of the city’s gross regional product, according to the Guardian. The area has multiple naval bases and Marine Corps stations, and one out of four active-duty marines is based in San Diego. Field noted that residents have long worried the city could be a target in a war because of that presence.

What this means for residents

The sources describe no new policy, military action or official warning. The practical effect reported so far is political and emotional: residents of both cities, including military families and veterans, said the remark left them feeling unsafe or dismissed. Critics said that in a region so tied to defense, such talk touches both livelihoods and personal security.

The reaction also came during a record-breaking heat wave, which the Guardian said sent tempers higher on Tuesday. Several people the paper spoke to connected the comments to earlier tensions with the president, including the 2025 deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles during immigration raids.

How the remark was received

Many people at a downtown Los Angeles food hall had not heard about the comments until a reporter asked, the Guardian said. Those who had heard ranged from deeply hostile to dismissive and incredulous. Midthun said the president has portrayed Los Angeles as a dystopia despite its economic and cultural strengths, and said he should focus on other issues. He pointed to the city’s large communities from South Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, Armenia and Iran.

The Guardian’s account contains no statement from Trump or his aides explaining or defending the remark, so his intent remains unclear from these sources.

Source: The Guardian