A White House aide is clarifying a recent comment President Donald Trump made that some leaders condemned as a call for Iran to attack U.S. cities.
At an Oct. 5 campaign rally in Nebraska, while discussing the Iran war's economic impacts, Trump raised the possibility of an attack on U.S. soil.
"It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," he said. "They can take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay."
After swift backlash from several California politicians, mostly Democrats, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung took to social media to explain the comment.
Cheung said in an Oct. 6 X post that Trump's statement was misunderstood in a "media
freakout" that "is not rooted in reality."
"He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped," Cheung wrote. "America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."
California leaders react to Trump comment that Iran can 'take out' a city
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a longtime Trump detractor, has taken to social media with numerous posts, including some calling out other California elected officials who have not condemned the comment.
"Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities," his office wrote in one post.
The mayors of San Diego and Los Angeles, both Democrats, also spoke out to defend their cities.
"The comments were completely irresponsible. I mean, they just were. You don't say something like that in jest," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in an appearance on MS NOW.
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."
Other Democratic lawmakers in the state, including Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, also criticized the comments as inviting an attack on the cities.
Among California's Republican politicians, at least two appeared to address the controversy while stopping short of agreeing with their colleagues across the aisle.
Rep. Vince Fong, R-CA, wrote on X that "American cities like LA and San Diego would be under incredible threat if Iran had a nuclear weapon."
"As California prepares to host the 2028 Olympics, our focus should be on protecting our nation, from securing the border to investing in Golden Dome missile defense to strengthening our cybersecurity – not misleading headlines or quotes taken out of context," Fong wrote.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-CA, posted on X: "President Trump has taken historic and concrete action to eliminate the nuclear threat, protect every inch of our homeland, and ensure Iran never threatens America or her allies ever again."
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aide explains Trump comment that Iran could 'take out' US cities
