Trump says 'let 'em take out LA, let 'em take out San Diego,' sparking uproar

US President Donald Trump has stirred controversy after appearing to suggest that Iran could destroy Los Angeles and San Diego as an acceptable cost of war, remarks he made while defending the economic burdens of the US military campaign against Iran.

According to The New York Times and Reuters, Trump made the comments during a speech in Nebraska on Tuesday (local time), addressing rising fuel and fertilizer prices linked to the war. "Prices are a little high because of the war," he said. "It's a small price to pay."

He then added: "A small price to pay to make the world safe and keep our country safe." He continued: "They could take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego."

Trump did not specify who "they" referred to, but the remarks were widely interpreted as suggesting Iran could attack those cities as an unavoidable consequence — given that they came in the context of his defense of the war against Iran.

Some observers read the comments as Trump arguing that without US military action to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, American cities could have come under attack — and that the threat of such an attack was a "small price to pay" for national security.

The remarks drew sharp backlash from California's political establishment. Los Angeles and San Diego are the state's two largest cities by population.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, called Trump "insane and dangerous" in a post on X.

"First he sent the National Guard and Marines to occupy California — now he's saying our foreign enemies should 'take out' LA and San Diego," Newsom wrote.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, also a Democrat, said Trump had "suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles." She added: "His remarks targeting our city are dangerous and could potentially threaten our safety."

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, another Democrat, said: "We are never a 'small price to pay.' Keep our city out of your reckless war rhetoric."

Even Jim Desmond, a Republican running for a California congressional seat, distanced himself from the president. "I strongly disagree with President Trump's comments. No American city is expendable," he said.

Some observers suggested the remarks could become another political liability for Trump ahead of the midterm elections.

The White House pushed back sharply as the controversy spread.

In a post on X, the White House accused US media of amplifying the controversy "with zero basis in reality," saying the press was in a "hallucinogenic" state. It maintained that Trump had simply been speaking about the threat posed by Iran.

"President Trump made clear that American cities would have been threatened had he not stopped Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," the White House said.