Trump says Iran could 'destroy' Los Angeles and San Diego: 'Very small price to pay'

The remarks came on October 5 in Grand Island, Nebraska, where Trump traveled for a campaign event.

"It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. 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," Trump said.

The crowd responded to the remarks with cheers of approval.

What California officials said

California Governor Gavin Newsom was the first to respond. He addressed the comments in a post on X.

"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 wrote.

"The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass 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,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote on X.

What is located in these cities

Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States. It is home to the headquarters of the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command.

The city is also home to aerospace contractors and federal research centers, including RAND Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman.

San Diego is the eighth-most populous city in the country. Major military installations are located nearby.

These include Naval Base San Diego, which is home to the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, as well as Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where 70,000 military and civilian personnel live and work.

Another facility is Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, the primary training site for Navy SEALs on the West Coast.

As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, Trump accused Ukraine and Democrats of driving up gas prices.

He said prices were not rising because of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Trump, the cause is oil refineries: Ukraine is blowing up Russian refineries, while Democrats are shutting down US refineries in so-called blue states, including California.

It was also reported that Türkiye and Pakistan pledged to immediately deploy troops to Saudi Arabia.

The decision came amid attacks on the kingdom by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

According to Saudi authorities, the militants attempted to attack Mecca and Medina.