Trump falsely claims Iran could destroy Los Angeles or San Diego

President Donald Trump has falsely claimed that Iran could destroy Los Angeles or San Diego — a remark the White House insists was misread. The Trump Iran claim was made on Monday, October 5, 2026, at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, where Trump told supporters that Iran could “take out” either city and called it “a very small price to pay” for the war with Iran. Iran has no nuclear weapons, and the comment drew sharp condemnation from California leaders, who called it dangerous.

Key Facts

• What was said: At the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump said: “They could 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.”
• When and where: Monday, October 5, 2026 — a midterm campaign event for Senator Pete Ricketts and other Republicans ahead of the November 3 midterms, held while discussing fuel and fertilizer costs tied to the war with Iran.
• The facts: Iran possesses no nuclear weapons. The US–Iran war is in its eighth month, and an October AP-NORC survey found only 28% approval of Trump’s handling of the Iran situation.
• White House defense: Communications Director Steven Cheung said the remarks were misread: “He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped.”
• California reaction: Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks dangerous and asked “where the hell is Congress”; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also condemned the comments.
• Also this week: On Wednesday, October 7, Trump’s San Antonio rally for Senate nominee Ken Paxton was repeatedly disrupted by protesters, and the Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration in federal court over $20 million in taxpayer-funded television ads.

The Trump Iran claim: what was actually said in Nebraska

The remark came during a wide-ranging address in which Trump framed the economic pain of the war — higher gas and fertilizer prices — as a temporary cost of “keeping the world safe.” He told the crowd that prices would soon come “tumbling down” and predicted the conflict, now in its eighth month, would end soon.

But it was the passage about American cities that exploded online. Video of the speech, shared in a post that drew more than 15 million views, showed Trump saying: “They could 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.” The crowd cheered.

The Los Angeles skyline at dusk. President Trump told a Nebraska rally crowd on October 5, 2026, that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego — a claim Iran’s lack of nuclear weapons makes unsubstantiated. (Illustration: Watan News)

The claim does not withstand scrutiny. Iran has no nuclear weapons and no demonstrated capability to destroy an American city. Trump’s framing — presenting two US cities as acceptable collateral damage — is what made the remark so incendiary, regardless of the White House’s later interpretation.

White House defense and California backlash

The White House moved quickly to reframe the comments. Steven Cheung, the White House Director of Communications, wrote on X that the reaction had no basis in reality, arguing Trump was describing the threat the war was meant to remove — a nuclear-armed Iran — not inviting an attack on American cities.

California Democrats were not persuaded. Governor Gavin Newsom posted the video with the caption: “An American president is talking about Los Angeles and San Diego being ‘taken out.’ Where the hell is Congress? This is dangerous. The time to stand up is NOW.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the president’s role is to protect the country, “not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” while San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city was “not collateral damage” and “never a ‘small price to pay.'”

The backlash lands at a difficult moment for the president. An October survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found just 28% of Americans approve of Trump’s management of the Iran situation, even as inflation on everyday goods like fuel and groceries continues to bite — the very price pressures Trump was trying to explain away in Nebraska.

Protesters disrupt San Antonio rally for Paxton

Two days after Nebraska, Trump was in San Antonio, Texas, headlining a Wednesday, October 7 rally at the Freeman Coliseum for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton and congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz. The event was repeatedly interrupted by protesters — at least six separate disruptions during the roughly hour-and-45-minute speech, with police forcibly removing several hecklers.

Trump blamed “paid protesters” and “enemies of our nation” for the interruptions. Reports said a man wearing a MAGA hat was filmed grabbing a protester by the hair as the demonstrator was escorted out of the venue.

The rally underscored how competitive Texas has become: polling has consistently shown Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico with a narrow lead over Paxton, and Trump attacked Talarico at length over his record on transgender policies. The president has an uneven history with Paxton himself — publicly ribbing him at recent events even while campaigning for him — and a leaked audio recording reported by The New York Times captured Paxton admitting that Trump’s earlier Dallas “Trumpapalooza” convention “dropped our numbers” in the race.

DNC sues over taxpayer-funded TV ads

The same day as the San Antonio rally, the Democratic National Committee filed a federal lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to block the Trump administration from using taxpayer money for election-related television ads.

The US Capitol at twilight. The DNC sued the Trump administration on October 7, 2026, over $20 million in taxpayer-funded TV ads, with the November 3 midterms less than a month away. (Illustration: Watan News)

The complaint accuses Trump of a “blatant violation of the statutory ban on the use of appropriations for ‘publicity or propaganda purposes.'” The taxpayer-funded ads glorifying Trump began airing in late September and sparked a bipartisan backlash. According to the media-tracking firm AdImpact, more than $12 million worth of ads had already aired by Wednesday, drawn from $20 million in Department of Homeland Security funding.

Trump said on Truth Social on Monday that the ads would no longer be funded by taxpayers and that his MAGA Inc. super PAC would pay for them going forward — but a fifth ad began airing Tuesday carrying the disclaimer “paid for by the U.S. Government,” promoting Trump’s military actions in Venezuela earlier this year. Trump has not committed to reimbursing money already spent. DNC Chair Ken Martin said Trump was misusing taxpayer dollars in “a last-ditch attempt to save Republicans in November,” adding: “Americans deserve better than to have their hard-earned tax dollars used for Trump’s illegal schemes.”

Conclusion

The Trump Iran claim — that Iran could destroy Los Angeles or San Diego at an acceptable cost — is false on its face: Iran has no nuclear weapons, and no evidence supports the capability Trump described. The White House’s explanation that he meant a hypothetical, already-averted threat has not calmed the reaction in California, where leaders across the state called the remarks dangerous.

Coming days before the November 3 midterms, the controversy has fused with the week’s other flashpoints: the protester-marred San Antonio rally for Paxton and the DNC’s lawsuit over taxpayer-funded ads. Follow this story on Watan News for the latest developments. More world news from Watan News.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where and when did Trump make the claim about Iran, Los Angeles and San Diego?

At a campaign rally on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska — a midterm event for Senator Pete Ricketts and other Republicans. The n8n draft’s claim that it happened in San Antonio on October 7 was incorrect.

What did the White House say about the remarks?

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the remarks were misread, arguing Trump was stating that US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran had not been stopped — not inviting an attack on them.

How did California leaders react?

Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks dangerous and asked where Congress was; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said a president should protect the country, not threaten it; San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city was “never a ‘small price to pay.'”

What is the DNC lawsuit about?

Filed October 7, 2026, in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the DNC lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of illegally spending $20 million in taxpayer (Department of Homeland Security) money on TV ads promoting Trump personally, violating the ban on using appropriations for “publicity or propaganda purposes.”

What happened at Trump’s San Antonio rally?

On October 7, 2026, Trump’s rally at the Freeman Coliseum for Senate nominee Ken Paxton and congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz was repeatedly disrupted by protesters; Trump blamed “paid protesters,” and reports said a MAGA-hat-wearing attendee grabbed a protester by the hair during a removal.