Trump sparks backlash with “Let Iran destroy LA and San Diego”; White House calls it a “distortion” in damage control

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked intense backlash after remarks suggesting that nothing could be done even if major American cities such as Los Angeles (LA) and San Diego were destroyed, while he was defending the rationale for the war with Iran and its economic costs. Amid fierce protests from local politicians, the White House moved swiftly to contain the fallout, dismissing the media’s reaction as an overreaction and a distortion.

According to the Associated Press and other international media on the 6th (local time), Trump said at a midterm election rally in Nebraska the previous day, referring to the burden of rising oil prices and the cost of living due to the war, “They’ve gone up a little artificially because of the war, and that’s a small price worth paying.”
Trump went on to call it “a small price to pay to keep the world and our country safe,” adding, “They could destroy a city. Let them destroy LA, let them destroy San Diego. That’s a very small price to pay.”
Trump did not explicitly identify “they,” but his remarks were interpreted in context as referring to Iran. As commentators suggested he was saying that even an attack on a city was a price worth paying for security while emphasizing the justification for U.S. military operations, the controversy spiraled out of control.

Politicians in California, where the cities are located, reacted furiously across the board.

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Trump in a post on X, saying, “He’s out of his mind and dangerous,” and adding, “After sending the National Guard and Marines to take control of California, he’s now telling foreign adversaries to destroy LA and San Diego.” LA Mayor Karen Bass also criticized him, saying, “The president of the United States suggested to a foreign government that it attack LA.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria likewise urged, “We are not a ‘small price to pay.’ Don’t drag our city into reckless war rhetoric.”
Republicans also joined the criticism, seeking to distance themselves from the remarks. Republican candidate Jim Desmond, who is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from California, said emphatically, “No American city can be sacrificed, and no American family or resident should be treated as collateral damage.”

As the remarks showed signs of becoming a liability ahead of the midterm elections, the White House strongly pushed back and offered an explanation.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on social media on the 6th that President Trump absolutely did not mean that he wanted American cities to be attacked. Cheung said, “The media’s overreaction, lost in a hallucination, is a distortion with absolutely no basis in reality,” and argued, “The president was clearly emphasizing that American cities would have been threatened if he had not preemptively stopped Iran’s nuclear development.” He added, “America is safer thanks to the president, and Iran currently has no nuclear weapons, navy, air force, or money.”

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