President Trump suggested at a campaign rally in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego. The crowd cheered.
Trump said, “It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” The attendees responded with approval.
The Cities He Named
Los Angeles is the country’s second-most populous city. It hosts the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command Headquarters. Aerospace contractors including Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman operate there, along with federally funded research centers such as the RAND Corporation.
San Diego is the nation’s eighth-largest city. Naval Base San Diego serves as the homeport of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton houses 70,000 civilians and active-duty service members. Naval Amphibious Base Coronado is the main training ground for Navy SEALs on the West Coast.
The Governors Reacted
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on X. He connected this threat to a pattern of behavior from the administration, noting that the same president who sent troops to occupy California now encourages foreign enemies to destroy its largest city.
LA Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X: “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 wrote on X: “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.”
What the Threat Means
Trump’s words were not hypothetical. He was suggesting that Iran should be allowed to destroy two major American cities as part of a broader conflict. The attendees cheered the idea.
The response showed that the crowd agreed with the premise: that destroying American cities is a fair price for keeping the world safe. That is a remarkable reading of the moment.
The Local Response
The mayors and governor of the targeted cities did not share that view. They treated the threat as a direct attack on their constituents.
Bass framed the presidency as a protector, not a provocateur. Gloria rejected the idea that his city could be sacrificed for any cause.
Newsom connected this threat to a pattern of behavior from the administration, noting that the same president who sent troops to occupy California now encourages foreign enemies to destroy its largest city.
Why This Matters
The cities matter. Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States. San Diego is the eighth-largest. Together they represent a significant portion of the country’s population and economic output.
Naval Base San Diego is the homeport of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Camp Pendleton houses 70,000 civilians and active-duty service members. Coronado trains Navy SEALs. These are not abstract targets. They are the sites where America fights its wars.
The threat also lands on the aerospace industry. Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman all operate in Los Angeles. The RAND Corporation operates there too. The Space Force’s Space Systems Command Headquarters sits in the same city.
RAND’s presence in Los Angeles adds to the stakes. The city hosts a federally funded research center alongside the headquarters of major aerospace contractors.
This is not a remote military outpost. It is the heart of American defense capability.
What Comes Next
The immediate response was condemnation. The mayors and governor of the targeted cities spoke out.
The threat remains unaddressed. The attendees’ approval shows the distance between the national stage and the local consequences.
The mayors and governor of Los Angeles and San Diego know what those cities mean. They know the families, the businesses, the institutions that call them home. They know that destroying a city is not a small price to pay.
The paper stands with the mayors and governor. They are defending their residents against a threat from the federal government. That is the right side to take.
A Ranking of the Key Players
- Trump — the president who made the threat
- Bass — the mayor of Los Angeles who condemned the threat
- Gloria — the mayor of San Diego who condemned the threat
- Newsom — the governor of California who condemned the threat
Each group responded in its own way. The president threatened. The crowd approved. The mayors and governor rejected.
The contrast is stark. One man suggested destruction. Three leaders rejected it.
The attendees’ approval is notable. They cheered a president suggesting that American cities be destroyed. That is a strange reading of the moment.
The mayors and governor of the targeted cities did not hesitate. They condemned the threat immediately. Their response was swift and unequivocal.
The paper stands with the mayors and governor. They are protecting their communities against federal recklessness. That is the right side to take.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side on the question of military policy, and instead urges restraint, warning that threats made without restraint weaken both the nation’s standing and its security. Trump’s suggestion that Iran could destroy Los Angeles and San Diego was a threat made without restraint, and the crowd’s approval made it worse.
Trump’s words were not hypothetical. He was suggesting that Iran should be allowed to destroy two major American cities as part of a broader conflict. The attendees cheered the idea. That is a remarkable reading of the moment. The crowd agreed with the premise: that destroying American cities is a fair price for keeping the world safe. The mayors and governor of the targeted cities did not share that view. They treated the threat as a direct attack on their constituents.
The threat remains unaddressed. The attendees’ approval shows the distance between the national stage and the local consequences. The mayors and governor of Los Angeles and San Diego know what those cities mean. They know the families, the businesses, the institutions that call them home. They know that destroying a city is not a small price to pay. The paper stands with the mayors and governor. They are defending their residents against a threat from the federal government. That is the right side to take.
See the video the story is built around at CBS News.
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