Trump Vows to Protect LA and San Diego After Iran Comments
President Trump told a crowd in Texas on Wednesday night that he would not allow Iran to attack San Diego or Los Angeles, stating, We are not going to let that happen.
We protect our cities.
The remarks arrived two days after off-the-cuff comments by the president regarding the West Coast cities sparked public fallout and swift condemnation from California leaders.
Rallies in Texas and Nebraska Spark West Coast Security Debate
The Wednesday night comments in San Antonio capped two days in which the White House had been on the defensive. During a rally in Nebraska on Monday night, Trump had said: 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.
The remarks quickly spread online, drawing sharp pushback from state officials. On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom opened the state emergency operations center to assess potential threats following the initial comments.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the remarks for potentially compromising local safety. San Diego is not collateral damage,
Gloria posted on social media. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.
White House Defends Remarks as Politicians Push Back
White House communications director Steven Cheung insisted that the president’s initial remarks had been taken out of context. Writing on Tuesday, Cheung stated that the media freakout was not rooted in reality and that the president was clearly stating United States cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran had not been stopped.
Despite the administration’s defense, the comments drew a political backlash that crossed party lines. Republican U.S. House candidate Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran running in a competitive race, publicly disagreed with the remarks. Desmond wrote on social media that while America must stand up to Iran, the first responsibility of a commander-in-chief is to protect the American people and the homeland.
When Trump returned to the subject before the San Antonio crowd on Wednesday, he sought to reassure supporters by promising direct protection for San Diego and Los Angeles against any potential foreign aggression.