"Destruction of Los Angeles and San Diego": Wave of Criticism Against Trump; White House Clarifies

The White House denied that US President Donald Trump had called on Iran to attack American cities during a Monday evening rally, affirming that he meant the necessity of preventing Tehran from acquiring the capability to carry out such attacks.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung considered Trump's statements to have been misunderstood and distorted, criticizing what he described as "a media panic not based in reality."

Cheung said in a statement: "The media uproar over President Trump's statements is not based in reality. He was clearly explaining that American cities would face a threat if Iran were not stopped from possessing nuclear weapons. America is safer thanks to the President. Iran has no nuclear weapons, no navy, no air force, and no money."

Trump was speaking in Nebraska about the war with Iran and the resulting rise in fuel prices, which has become a burden for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, when he referred to the possibility of Iran launching an attack on US soil.

Regarding the war and its economic repercussions, Trump said: "It is a simple price we pay to maintain world security and our country's security. They can destroy a city, let them destroy Los Angeles, let them destroy San Diego, this is a very simple price we pay."

His remarks sparked anger from both the Democratic and Republican parties, who interpreted his words either as a call for Iran to "destroy" cities in California, or as an expression of his willingness to consider those cities acceptable collateral damage of war, according to the "New York Times" newspaper.

Trump had repeatedly stated that rising gasoline prices represent a small price to pay for the war in Iran.

Criticism of Trump
California Governor Gavin Newsom attacked Trump's remarks, writing on the "X" platform: "After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump now says our foreign enemies should destroy Los Angeles and San Diego."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also responded, saying she was "extremely shocked" by Trump's comments.

Jimm Desmond, a Republican backed by Trump seeking to fill a vacant seat in the House of Representatives for California, strongly opposed these statements.

He said: "The primary responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland. As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not to erase American cities as an acceptable cost of war."

He added: "Our mission is to keep Americans safe, stand against our enemies, and ensure that such a threat never becomes reality. No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be considered collateral damage."

Trump has a record of using harsh language to describe hypothetical scenarios of widespread destruction.

Last April, Trump threatened to eliminate Iran, saying that "an entire civilization will die tonight" and will "never exist again," which drew criticism against his remarks.