Republican Jim Desmond Rebukes Trump Over 2 California Cities in Tight House Race
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 6
Republican Jim Desmond Rebukes Trump Over 2 California Cities in Tight House Race
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 6
Summary
Jim Desmond, a Republican running in California’s 48th district, broke with Trump after the president said at a Nebraska rally that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego.
Trump made the remark while arguing that higher prices from war with Iran were a “small price to pay” for security, and the White House later said he was warning what a nuclear-armed Iran could do, not dismissing U.S. cities.
California Democrats and local officials intensified the backlash, with Hakeem Jeffries, Gavin Newsom, Terra Lawson-Remer and the U.S. Conference of Mayors saying a president should never treat an attack on an American city as acceptable.
Desmond’s criticism stands out because Republicans had largely stayed silent and because the San Diego-based contest could help decide control of the House, where the party holds a razor-thin majority.