What, Exactly, Did Trump Say About Iran Taking Out Los Angeles and San Diego?
New York Times · LC · trust 41/100
President Trump’s comments caused an uproar from members of both parties. A White House official said he was taken out of context.
Shawn McCreesh is a White House correspondent. He reported from the president’s rally in Grand Island, Neb.
While speaking to a packed-out rally in Grand Island, Neb., Mr. Trump said exactly this:
I want to see a tremendous victory. You want to see a tremendous victory because it verifies all the things we did. And again, 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.
They can take out a city. Let them take, let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego. That’s — 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, they need it. But it’s going to end very soon. And it’ll end one way or the other. And your gas and your gasoline and all of the things.
And don’t forget, we also took on a country known as Venezuela. They never talk about that. They never talk about Venezuela. And we’re taking in hundreds of millions of barrels of oil every week. We’re pouring oil. We’re pouring oil into this country like nobody’s ever seen before.
The audience cheered when he said “let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego,” and the moment instantly went viral. An uproar ensued among critics — both Democrats and Republicans — who interpreted Mr. Trump’s comments as either inviting Iran to “take out” cities in California or as his seeing those cities as collateral.
On Tuesday morning, the White House’s communications director, Steven Cheung, responded: “The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. 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.”
Mr. Trump has repeatedly referred to elevated gasoline prices as a small price to pay for the war in Iran.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California jumped on the president’s remarks. “After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California,” Mr. Newsom wrote online, “Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego.”
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, responded by saying she was “just shocked” at the president’s comments. “It would really be helpful to our city if you would apologize and say, of course, you would never stand for a foreign power attacking a U.S. city,” said the mayor, a Democrat whom the president frequently attacks. “That is the appropriate response the day after from the president of the United States.”
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Read the original at New York Times →
Open in TruthVane →