Republican in San Diego rebukes Trump over remark that Iran could 'take out' LA or San Diego
A comment by President Trump suggesting Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles or San Diego has drawn condemnation from Democrats and an unusual public rebuke from a Republican congressional candidate. The White House says his words were taken out of context.
Republican congressional candidate Jim Desmond, running for a competitive San Diego-area House seat, has broken ranks with his party to criticize President Donald Trump's suggestion that Iran could strike California cities. Desmond, a former San Marcos mayor and navy veteran, said a commander-in-chief's first duty is protecting Americans, not treating cities as an acceptable cost of war.
Remarks at a Nebraska rally
At a rally in Nebraska on Monday night, Trump said high prices stemming from tension with Iran were a small price for keeping the country and the world safe. He then suggested Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles or San Diego, a line that drew applause from the crowd.
The comment triggered swift condemnation from Democrats. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries called the idea of nuclear destruction of an American city no laughing matter. California governor Gavin Newsom, San Diego board of supervisors chair Terra Lawson-Remer, and US Conference of Mayors head Tom Cochran also criticized the remarks, arguing no president should describe an attack on an American city as acceptable under any circumstances.
A rare Republican break
Desmond's statement stood out because most Republicans stayed silent. He is set to face Democrat Marni Von Wilpert, a lawyer and San Diego city council member, for the state's 48th congressional district, redrawn following Proposition 50 — a race seen as important to which party controls the narrow House majority.
White House pushback
White House communications director Steven Cheung said the backlash was based on a misreading, insisting Trump meant that US cities would have been at risk from a nuclear-armed Iran had it not been stopped, and that Iran currently lacks nuclear weapons, a navy, an air force and money. Trump supporters, including San Diego resident Blake Marnell, defended the remark as rally rhetoric and predicted the controversy would fade quickly.
