Trump said Iran should be allowed to “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego as a “small price to pay”.
Trump made the remarks while discussing war-related price rises and US national security.
California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised Trump and called his remarks “deranged and dangerous”.
US President Donald Trump appeared to suggest that Iran should be allowed to “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego while discussing war-related price increases at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday.
Trump was arguing that higher prices were a cost of maintaining US and global security when he raised the possibility of an Iranian attack on an American city. He named Los Angeles and San Diego, saying it would be a “small price to pay”.
“And again, remember, with the war, it’s just artificial,” he said.
“It’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe."
Trump then referred to the possibility of an Iranian attack on a US city.
“They can take out a city,” he said. “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.”
According to Anadolu Agency, Trump said the war was “essentially almost over with”, while acknowledging that it could continue for a longer period.
Trump On Iran’s ‘Threshold for Pain’
Trump also discussed Iran’s ability to withstand economic pressure, saying Iranian leaders had described themselves as having a “big threshold for pain.”
“They need it, let me tell you,” he said.
The president predicted that the conflict would eventually end “one way or the other” before returning to the economic consequences Americans were facing.
"But it's going to end very soon, and it'll end one way or the other," he said, adding prices are going to come down "very sharply."
Anadolu Agency reported that California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised Trump’s remarks.
"After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego. He is deranged and dangerous," Newsom said on the US social media platform X.
