White House Defends Trump’s Los Angeles Remark as Iran War Spurs Gas-Price Backlash
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 6
White House Defends Trump’s Los Angeles Remark as Iran War Spurs Gas-Price Backlash
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 6
Summary
Steven Cheung said Tuesday that Trump’s viral line about Iran being able to "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego was being misread, arguing he meant U.S. cities would have been at risk if Iran had not been stopped.
At a Nebraska rally Monday, Trump called higher gasoline prices "a small price to pay" for the Iran war, then said, "Let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego," triggering immediate outrage online.
Gavin Newsom accused Trump of telling foreign enemies to attack California, while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was shocked and urged him to apologize and state clearly he would never tolerate an attack on a U.S. city.
The clash adds to pressure on Trump’s Iran-war messaging, which has already drawn scrutiny over his repeated insistence that elevated gas prices are justified by the conflict.