The White House is defending comments made by Donald Trump on Monday at a rally in Nebraska.
During his remarks about the ongoing conflict with Iran, the current president 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.”
Although the comment garnered cheers from Trump supporters in Nebraska, but quick rebuke from officials in California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom called the remark “deranged and dangerous,” while Mayor Karen Bass (Los Angeles) described the comments as threats that would “encourage attacks on American lives.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told Trump to keep San Diego out of his “reckless war talk” on X.
Newsome also announced that Trump’s statement prompted him to direct California’s State Threat Assessment Center to monitor the situation in case the remarks were interpreted as an “invitation” to attack the state.
The White House has shrugged off the outcry and referred to the responses to the comment as a “media freakout.”
Stephen Cheung, White House Communications Director, posted a statement on X attempting to reframe his leader’s comments.
“He was clearly stating US 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,” Cheung wrote.
From a separate official White House account, the journalists from the Los Angeles Times who reported on the comments, were called “buffoons.”
“He was saying that the US is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon – which they would if they had the chance,” the account wrote.
The Trump administration’s response may be seen as questionable, as he and Newsom have traded insults over everything from the current anti-immigrant policies to Trump mocking Newsom’s dyslexia. Newsom has called out Trump’s abuse of power.
