Trump says Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles or San Diego; officials condemn remarks
Source published: Oct 6, 2026 · time not supplied · Event: 2026-10-05
At an October 5 campaign rally, Trump said wartime price increases were a small cost for keeping the country safe, then said Iran could attack a city and named Los Angeles and San Diego. A public C-SPAN clip confirms the words. Reuters reported that California officials and at least one Republican congressional candidate condemned the remarks.
Response / context
Reuters reported that Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria criticized the comments; Republican House candidate Jim Desmond also said no American city is expendable. In a later response reported by AP, White House communications director Steven Cheung said Trump was not calling for attacks and meant that Los Angeles or San Diego could have been targets if Iran obtained a nuclear weapon; Cheung said Trump was emphasizing efforts to prevent that outcome. That explanation is the White House's account of Trump's intent, not an independent finding about a specific threat.
Dates and scope
Source publication: Oct 6, 2026 · time not supplied
Event or conduct: 2026-10-05. Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on October 5. Reuters published its focused report October 6.
Dated report. Publication, event and review times are different; the review time is when the sources were last checked, not a live update.
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Read the original sources
- Reuters: California officials blast Trump's comment to let Iran 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego ↗
Reporting - October 6
- C-SPAN: User Clip: Let Iran 'take out' Los Angeles, San Diego ↗
Primary video record - October 5
- Associated Press: White House aide: Trump did not call for attacks on US cities but explained how he's preventing them ↗
White House response and reporting - October 6
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