Trump suggests Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles during Nebraska rally

President Donald Trump suggested during a campaign rally Monday that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego.

What they're saying:

"It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," Trump said on Monday at the rally in Grand Island, 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."

While likely tongue in cheek, Trump's comment drew severe backlash from local leaders.

California Governor Gavin Newsom took to social media to call Trump "deranged and dangerous" for Monday's comments.

"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," Newsom wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "He is deranged and dangerous."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also chimed in, saying Trump's remark is "dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety."

"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," she wrote on X. "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."

Meanwhile, Republican Congressman Darrell Issa responded by saying, "For five decades, Americans on American soil have shed blood and lost their lives at the hands of Iran and its terrorist proxies. Where the Obama and Biden Administrations appeased Tehran, paid them billions in bribes, and put them on a glide path to having nuclear weapons, President Trump has taken historic and concrete action to eliminate the nuclear threat, protect every inch of our homeland, and ensure Iran never threatens America or her allies ever again."

Below is the link to Trump's full speech from the Oct. 5 rally ahead of the 2026 midterm elections:

This story was reported from Los Angeles.