President Trump suggested during a political rally in Nebraska on Monday night that Iran should destroy Los Angeles and San Diego, remarks that drew immediate condemnation from the mayors of both California cities.
According to TMZ.com, the president made the statement while addressing a packed crowd about the Iran war and its effect on fuel costs nationwide, which he said forced American drivers to pay a "little bit" more at the pump.
Trump told the audience that Iran possessed the firepower to eliminate an American city, though he provided no evidence that the country has long-range weapons of mass destruction, TMZ.com reported.
He then delivered the remark that stunned the crowd, naming the two liberal California cities as targets. "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego," Trump said, according to TMZ.com.
The president characterized the prospect as a "small price to pay" and claimed the Iran war was nearing its end, describing it as "essentially almost over with," TMZ.com reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded swiftly on X, writing, "The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives."
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also posted a rebuke on X, stating, "San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a 'small price to pay.' Keep our city out of your reckless war talk."
The remarks, delivered at a political rally in Nebraska, mark an escalation in the president's rhetoric toward California's two largest cities and have prompted sharp pushback from their Democratic leaders. TMZ.com published its report on the rally at 12:29 AM PDT on October 6, 2026.