Donald Trump suggested at a rally in Nebraska that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego, and the crowd clapped. The suggestion drew sharp pushback from a fellow Republican running for Congress in the very district that would be hit.
Jim Desmond, a former mayor of San Marcos and a Marine veteran, criticized Trump’s remarks. “America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our Commander in Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland,” Desmond said. “No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.”
Desmond faces Marni Von Wilpert, a lawyer and member of San Diego’s city council, in the 48th congressional district race.
Trump’s War Price
Trump claimed at the rally that high prices due to the war with Iran are a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe – keeping our country safe.” He then said: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
The crowd responded with applause.
Local Officials Respond
Terra Lawson-Remer, chair of the San Diego board of supervisors, called Trump a “traitor” to security, values, and the country.
Tom Cochran, head of the United States Conference of Mayors, said Trump had “crossed a line that no president should ever approach.”
Blake Marnell, a Trump supporter from San Diego who wears a brick-patterned suit resembling Trump’s border wall, defended the comments. “I defend his comments absolutely. It is not inappropriate to mention something like that now because you have to take it in the context in which it is spoken.”
The White House Pushes Back
Steven Cheung, director of communications at the White House, posted on X: “The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”
The White House’s “Rapid Response 47” account also weighed in, calling the Los Angeles Times “buffoons” and insisting Trump meant the US is fighting to stop Iran from taking out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon.
A District Race at Stake
The 48th congressional district covers San Diego. Desmond’s criticism puts him at odds with the president in a district where Trump’s message carries weight.
Lawson-Remer’s blunt description of Trump as a traitor to security and values was notable for its directness. Cochran’s warning that Trump had crossed a line that no president should ever approach echoed a similar concern about leadership.
Marnell’s defense of the comments offers a different perspective: that the context of a rally justifies talk that might otherwise sound alarming. That framing allows supporters to hear the comments as tough talk rather than a genuine threat to American cities.
The White House response, meanwhile, rejects the idea that the comments were alarming at all. Cheung’s post on X argued that the criticism was not rooted in reality, insisting that Trump was simply stating that cities would have been threatened if Iran had nuclear capability. The “Rapid Response 47” account went further, dismissing critics as buffoons and insisting that Trump’s meaning was clear.
Key Facts Box
- Location: Rally held in Nebraska; 48th district covers San Diego
- District race: Jim Desmond vs. Marni Von Wilpert
- Context: Trump claims high prices from the war with Iran are a “small price to pay”
- Trump’s remark: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego”
The White House framing treats the comments as strategic messaging rather than a real threat. The response from local officials shows the distance between national politics and the people whose cities would actually be named in such talk.
Source material: “Trump’s suggestion to ‘take out’ LA or San Diego draws Republican rebuke,” The Guardian.
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