Trump explains LA, San Diego comments: 'All I was doing was making a comparison'

This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. President Trump lashed out at the media Thursday over its coverage on his comments suggesting Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego. The president accused the media of reporting that he was "inviting" Iran to bomb the two California cities when he was talking about gas prices. "What I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a Nuclear Weapon and, if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?" Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday. Trump went on to say he was making a comparison between "paying a little more, for a short time, for Gasoline, versus the bombing of our Major Cities." "Everybody knew that, the Fake News knew it as well, but they continue to go out and say that I am asking the enemy to bomb two Cities that I love," he continued. Trump first made the comments about bombing the two cities during a campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday, drawing immediately condemnation from California leaders. The state's Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told The Hill on Tuesday that Trump was "mentally ill," and called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) called the comments "dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety," while San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (D) said in a statement the city was "not collateral damage." The White House also sought to push back on the characterization of the comments. "The media freakout over President Trump's comments is not rooted in reality," White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote Tuesday on the social platform X. Trump doubled down on the comments during a campaign rally in San Antonio on Wednesday but added he would not let Iran attack the American cities. "You want to see some bad things happen? You want to see a country in free fall? We're not going to let that happen," he said. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.