At a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, while discussing the war with Iran and its economic effects, Trump suggested that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego as a “small price to pay.”
“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” Trump said. “They can take out a city, let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego.”
The comments drew cheers, laughter and applause from the relatively small sized rally. But they laughed and cheered anyhow at the thought that Iran could bomb and wipe out up to 10 million people who live in the two cities. Because they’re only blue — they / we don’t matter.
They laughed in Nebraska, but no one in California was smiling. Here’s some of the reaction, as compiled by Patch San Diego.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on social media, pointing to Trump’s previous deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to California before criticizing the president’s latest remarks.
“Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom wrote. “He is deranged and dangerous.”
Newsom’s press office also condemned the remarks, noting that more than 10 million people live in the two metropolitan areas.
“Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities,” the governor’s press office wrote on social media. “This is not normal. None of this is. And we will continue to remind folks of that every day.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Trump’s remarks were dangerous and could jeopardize the city’s safety.
“The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” Bass wrote on social media. “In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city was “not collateral damage” and “not expendable.”
“And we are never a ‘small price to pay,'” Gloria wrote on social media. “Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”
The remarks also drew criticism from both candidates for the open 48th Congressional District seat in San Diego County.
Republican San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said he “vehemently” disagreed with Trump.
“No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage,” he wrote.
His Democratic opponent, San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert called Trump’s remarks “appalling and terrifying.”
“This is an impeachable offense by the Commander in Chief, who swore an oath to protect our country,” she wrote. “Our homes, our families and our communities cannot be treated as collateral damage or a political punch line by this President.”
One local San Diego County resident — in a knew-jerk reaction — said, “So much for feeling sorry about the farmers.”
Now we get to see how Republicans in San Diego and California will respond. Will they call it ‘just a joke,’ or will they take it more seriously. Every GOP candidate now needs to be asked about these comments and whether they agree like Steve Hilton, Mark Powell — or even those candidates who lean to the Republicans, like Richard Bailey.
He doesn’t understand his own irony. SD is a strategically important military town with hundreds SD based Sailors and Marines deployed as a result of the very war HE STARTED. Aside from the cruel and cold hearted disdain these supporters have for us because we’re only blue and don’t matter, they’re too stupid to understand irony I mentioned.
Absolutely vile and treacherous. The crowd cheering is so disgusting. Shame on them all. Does anyone know if Bailey has a response to this? This is his guy! And if it’s, “well I’m running for Mayor so my views on national politics don’t matter” call bullsh*t. Supporting Donald should be an absolute disqualification because it displays a lack of morality and poor judgement. That goes for all of his supporters running for office or not. You’re responsible for this menace.
Bravo, Jon! Couldn’t have said it better. Bailey said he’d vote for Trump a fourth time, if he could. Bailey’s cultish alignments are dangerous for San Diegans.
Yet another idiotic and abhorrent thing for Trump to say. Nov 3 just might be the catalyst for a re-emergence of the Never Trump GOP, if they can find where they left their spines. In this era of abusive Supermajorities at the City, County, State, and Federal levels, a sane loyal opposition party has never been needed more. And that applies to both parties.
A practitioner of the outrageous, there is nothing Donald Trump won’t say if it gets the reaction he needs — this is the nuclear version of his Celebrity Rules comments (about grabbing stars by their pussies with zero blowback) that were met with gasps and nervous laughter and appreciation for his disdain for public decorum. Whataguy. Trumpcouldcareless. I’mgonnavoteforTrump. Trump’salwaysgoodforalaugh.
Trump is disgusting, a destroyer and a scourge. He shouldn’t be where he is. We need to interrupt the narrative by voting him and his fellow travelers out. Then impeach him and make it stick..
I despise Trump as much as anyone, or at least almost as much. However, in this case I think this is being blown out of proportion. I believe the intent of the comment was to suggest that Iran could potentially take out Los Angeles or San Diego, not that they should or are invited to do so.
However, I could also obviously be mistaken.
He was saying it would be a small price to pay to ultimately win and lower gas prices. He was not inviting it but he was dismissing us as acceptable collateral damage.
Okay, Greg, try that line with your fellow San Diegans. We all heard it and we all heard the laughter and applause. You didn’t really address that.
The White House and some republicans are saying it was just “a joke.” Again, what about all the laughter and applause?
I often torture myself reading Nextdoor. Usually news about local situations like the stolen Tesla on the boardwalk or the Turquoise Tower. Lately Nextdoor is allowing more political posts, mostly local. One concerned these comments from the dementia ridden narcissistic president. To the many follow up posts from people living in the fox bubble trying to defend his comments, I have a one word response. ‘outFOXed’
The fact that so much time and energy is devoted to analyzing what “he really meant” is exactly the problem. The President of our United States should be an articulate leader that conveys unity and democratic values at every public appearance. That’s the job.