According to available accounts, Trump made the remarks on Monday evening in front of his supporters in Nebraska. The exact location of the rally was not specified in the information provided.
“They could eliminate a city,” Trump said, adding references to Los Angeles and San Diego. The wording reported by the sources is “take out,” an expression rendered in this context as “eliminate.”
The statements were made against the backdrop of the war with Iran and the conflict’s economic consequences. Trump linked rising prices to the sacrifices that, in his view, would be associated with the country’s security.
The reaction from California was immediate. Governor Gavin Newsom called the comments “delusional and dangerous,” while other state officials criticized the tone of Trump’s remarks.
The criticism was not limited to California’s Democratic leaders. Accounts by The Japan Times and the South China Morning Post report that the remarks also drew condemnation from some Republicans.
The controversy therefore concerns both the reference to two major California cities and the way Trump raised the possibility of an Iranian attack. The sources describe a political backlash without specifying the number or identities of the Republicans who spoke out.
The available information does not establish whether Trump intended to present his words as a literal policy position, a rhetorical provocation or a hypothetical scenario. Nor is a complete transcript of the passage and its immediate context available in the material reviewed.