Trump repeats call to 'let Iran destroy LA and San Diego,' drawing backlash

US President Donald Trump has repeated his controversial remarks suggesting Iran should be allowed to attack Los Angeles and San Diego.

Speaking at a midterm election campaign rally in Texas on Wednesday (local time), Trump said he was "making sure Iran never has a nuclear weapon," Yonhap reported.

"I said it the other day — just think about letting them hit San Diego or Los Angeles with a missile," Trump said. "Let them attack. Do you want to see a horrible sight? Let them attack San Diego. Let them attack LA. You'll see bad things happen."

He added, "Do you want to see the country go into a tailspin? We're not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country."

Los Angeles and San Diego are California's two largest cities by population, both situated along the Pacific coast.

California is a Democratic Party stronghold.

Trump's remarks appeared intended to argue that war with Iran was unavoidable and that, without it, major US cities including Los Angeles and San Diego could have come under attack from Iranian nuclear missiles.

At a campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday, Trump made similar comments, saying, "They could destroy a city — let them destroy LA, let them destroy San Diego."

Trump framed the rise in oil prices caused by the Iran war as "a small price to pay to keep the world safe, to keep our country safe," but the remarks drew criticism — particularly from the affected region and the Democratic Party — with many asking whether he was suggesting it would be acceptable for Iran to destroy Los Angeles and San Diego.

The White House said Trump "was making clear that American cities would have been threatened had he not stopped Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons."

California Governor Gavin Newsom, considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate, issued a statement through The Hill saying Trump "is mentally ill" and that "it's time to invoke the 25th Amendment," Yonhap reported.

The 25th Amendment sets out the procedures and conditions under which a president's powers may be assumed by the vice president or others.

In general, presidential authority passes to the vice president when a president is removed from office, dies, resigns, or is unable to perform duties due to physical or mental incapacity — with the president's own consent. However, if the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet send Congress a written declaration that the president is unable to discharge the duties of the office, the president's powers are suspended regardless of the president's own wishes.

Sen. Alex Padilla (Democrat, California), who is from Los Angeles, also posted on X (formerly Twitter): "25th Amendment. Now."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, also a Democrat, said "the president of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack LA," adding that "his remarks targeting our city are dangerous and could potentially threaten our safety."

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, also a Democrat, said, "We are never 'a small price to pay,'" and called on Trump to "leave our city out of your reckless war rhetoric."

Criticism also emerged from within the Republican Party. Jim Desmond, a Republican running for a California congressional seat, said he "strongly disagrees with President Trump's comments," adding that "no American city is expendable."