In a Nebraska rally this week, former President Donald Trump warned that if the United States had not acted against Iran, the Tehran regime could attack major U.S. cities, adding Los Angeles and San Diego to the list of possible targets.
California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed the remark as “deranged and dangerous,” and urged state security offices to monitor any hostile actions that might interpret the comment as an invitation. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria similarly condemned the words as threats to American lives.
White House officials have positioned the statement not as a call to attack, but as a cautionary note: Trump’s point was that the expulsive defense posture had averted a scenario in which Iran could strike U.S. military hubs. The administration highlighted the presence of Navy and Air Force installations in both cities to underscore the strategic stakes.
In a brief X post, Communications Director Stephen Cheung dismissed the media storm as “not rooted in reality,” insisting that the former president’s words reflected a protective stance and that Iran’s nuclear and naval capacities were negligible. Another rapid‑response account critiqued Los Angeles Times reporting on the comments as “buffoons” and reiterated the White House’s justification.
The incident marks another clash in a long‑standing rivalry between Trump and Newsom, who has been a vocal critic of former President’s policies on immigration, national defense and public safety. The exchange arrives amid escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and the U.S. stance toward the Middle East.
Both sides continue to voice opposing views, with the White House maintaining that the U.S. was preemptively safeguarding American cities, while California leaders push for heightened vigilance against a potential Iranian deployment of weapons over the Pacific Coast.
