Did Trump say of Iran, 'Let 'em take out' LA and San Diego?

The White House rejected claims that Trump suggested the cities' destruction would be a small price to pay for ending the Iran war. Published Oct. 6, 2026 Claim: While speaking about the Iran war on Oct. 5, U.S. President Donald Trump said, "They [Iran] 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 and it's going to be over with very soon." ContextTrump said these words during an unscripted, tangential portion of a speech he gave at a Nebraska political rally. Many people, including high-level Democratic politicians and pundits, appeared to interpret him as saying the destruction of two large California cities would be a small price to pay for ending the war. White House spokesperson Steven Cheung replied on X that, on the contrary, Trump "was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped." On Oct. 5, a rumor circulated online that, while speaking at a rally, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran could "take out" Los Angeles or San Diego and that it would be a "very small price to pay" amid the war on Iran. The joint U.S.-Israel military operation has killed thousands of Iranians, beginning with the assassination of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, on Feb. 28, 2026. According to an October poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 28% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling Iran, as the cost of gas and groceries continued to soar. "Trump on Iran: Let 'em take out Los Angeles and San Diego, it's a small price to pay," one X post showing a video of Trump speaking was captioned (archived). It had more than 15 million views. The video was authentic, and the quote was correctly attributed to Trump. While speaking about economic sacrifices during the war at a Nebraska rally on Oct. 5, Trump said (at 1:47:01): I want to see a tremendous victory. You want to see a tremendous victory 'cause 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 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em 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, they need it. But it's gonna end very soon and it'll end one way or the other and your gas and your gasoline and all of the things. California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego, denounced Trump's comments. "After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California," Newsom posted on X, "Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego. He is deranged and dangerous." We sought comment from the White House, which directed us to a statement on X (archived) by spokesperson Steven Cheung. Cheung wrote that Trump was "clearly" stating that "U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped." It was unclear what Trump was referring to when he made the comment about "a small price to pay" and the White House's response didn't provide further context. For further reading, we've verified numerous authentic Trump quotes, including that he said the Iran war was "small potatoes" and that when speaking about Iran negotiations, he said, "I don't think about Americans' financial situation. I don't think about anybody." Sources Esposito, Joey. 'Trump on Iran Negotiations: "I Don't Think about Americans" Financial Situation''. Snopes, 13 May 2026, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-americans-finances-iran-deal/.Ferrara, John Ross. 'Newsom, Bass Respond to Trump's "Take out Los Angeles" Comments'. KTLA5, 5 Oct. 2026, https://ktla.com/news/local-news/newsom-bass-respond-to-trumps-take-out-los-angeles-comments/.Gambrell, Jon. 'Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Who Led the Islamic Republic since 1989, Is Dead at 86'. The Associated Press, 1 Mar. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/iran-supreme-leader-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-dead-5b13b69b708c4ed38e8f95f5fb41a597.'Mayor Gloria Criticizes President Trump's Comment That Iran Could "Take out" San Diego'. Yahoo News, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/mayor-gloria-criticizes-president-trumps-115431970.html.PerryCook, Taija. 'Images Show Fragments of U.S.-Made Missile at Bombed Iranian Girls' School. We Broke down the Evidence'. Snopes, 13 Mar. 2026, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/us-missile-fragments-iran-school/.New item…Press, The Associated. 'Most Americans Blame Trump for High Prices as Midterms Approach, a New AP-NORC Poll Finds'. The Associated Press, 1 Oct. 2026, https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/elections/2026/most-americans-blame-trump-for-high-prices-as-midterms-approach-a-new-ap-norc-poll-finds/.Trump Rally Nebraska 10/05/26 | Rev. https://www.rev.com/transcripts/trump-rally-in-nebraska-on-10-05-26. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.'Trump Suggests Letting Iran "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego at Campaign Rally'. Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-10-05/trump-suggests-letting-iran-take-out-los-angeles-san-diego-at-campaign-rally. By Taija PerryCook Taija PerryCook is a Seattle-based journalist who previously worked for the PNW news site Crosscut and the Jordan Times in Amman. Article Tags