Politics
Trump Gets Last Laugh As Left-Wing Outlets Issue Correction Over ‘San Diego’ Comments
Democrats’ latest attack on President Donald Trump is drawing pushback from an unlikely corner: journalists at CNN and The Atlantic who say his remarks about Iran threatening California cities are being misrepresented.
CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale challenged the characterization of Trump’s comments, saying the president was defending the costs of fighting Iran, not endorsing an attack on Americans.
“This isn’t a direct quote from Trump, and I very much don’t think it’s a correct paraphrase. Trump has repeatedly argued that the consequences of the war, like higher gas prices, are a small price to pay compared to what an unchecked Iran could allegedly do,” Dale said.
The dispute erupted after Trump discussed the danger of Tehran obtaining a nuclear weapon during a Monday rally in Nebraska.
“They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay,” Trump said.
Democrats seized on the remarks to accuse the president of inviting attacks on the two cities. But several journalists who regularly scrutinize Trump said that interpretation missed his argument.
“My read: The ‘small price to pay’ comment refers back to the costs of the war — like gas prices — not to the idea of Iran nuking LA and SD,” wrote CNN senior reporter Aaron Blake.
The Atlantic’s Michael Scherer reached a similar conclusion.
“Trump’s point here is that if he didn’t start a war with Iran, then San Diego and LA would be at risk from nuclear war,” Scherer wrote on X.
Even Sarah Matthews, a former Trump staffer who became a Biden voter, rejected the suggestion that Trump was singling out Democratic cities for destruction.
“Unpopular opinion: I don’t think Trump was suggesting letting Iran to attack ‘blue cities.’ I think he meant if Iran gets a nuke, LA and San Diego could be targets considering they’re two major West Coast cities,” Matthews wrote.
No, President Trump @realDonaldTrump did not call for Iran to take out Los Angeles or San Diego.
Trump was speaking about the possibility of a nuclear Iran blowing American cities off the map, explaining that this is exactly why America had to strike Iran in the first place:
“Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial. It’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
Trump then spoke about giving Iran more pain, because a nuclear Iran has the ability to wipe out American cities:
“They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it’s going to be over with very soon. It’s essentially almost over with, and they might keep going a little long, you know. They always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it, let me tell you.”
It’s disgusting how elected Democrats and the mainstream media are lying about Trump’s remarks.
Talk about fake news.
— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) October 6, 2026
The White House pushed back forcefully, with communications director Steven Cheung calling the reaction a “media freakout” and saying the accusations were “not rooted in reality.”
POLL: Will You Support Trump And His Candidates In The Midterms?
“He was clearly stating U.S. 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 on X.
The White House’s rapid response account also weighed in.
“No, he didn’t, you buffoons. He was saying the U.S. 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.
Among the accounts circulating the clip was Headquarters, @HQNewsNow, which previously operated as “KamalaHQ” and, before that, the Biden campaign’s “BidenHQ” rapid response account.
California’s Democratic leaders used the remarks to level sweeping accusations against Donald Trump.
“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,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused Trump of endangering her city.
“The President of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety. The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives. In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city,” Bass said.
California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra also condemned the comments.
“Thirteen million Californians call LA and San Diego counties home. Their lives are not a ‘small price to pay’ or a punchline for Donald Trump,” Becerra said.
The criticism extended to Senate Democrats, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attacking both Trump and the war.
“Deranged. Delusional. And soon to be defeated. Calling millions of Americans collateral damage in his illegal war that nobody asked for takes a special kind of depravity, the kind only a man as weak and feeble as Donald Trump could sink to,” Schumer said.
