At a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, President Donald Trump said that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego if it were not stopped, arguing that the threat was a small price to pay for national security.
The remarks drew criticism from California Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who called the president “deranged and dangerous” and reminded him that American lives are not expendable.
The next day on the White House lawn, a female reporter asked Trump to explain the comments. Trump walked toward her but then swatted his hand and ignored the question. The White House Rapid Response account posted a clip of the moment, labeling the reporter a “whiny Fake News loser” and claiming the story was a hoax. Communications Director Steven Cheung also posted a rebuttal clip, asserting that the president was simply stating that U.S. cities would have been threatened if Iran had not been stopped.
Trump has a history of clashes with female journalists, including remarks to Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey and CBS News’ Weijia Jiang. He has also criticized journalist Kaitlan Collins, calling her “stupid and nasty” on Truth Social. California legislators Marni von Wilpert and Jim Desmond, though political rivals, agreed that the president’s statement was unacceptable and stressed that no American city or family should be treated as collateral damage.
