What did Trump mean when he said 'Let them take out Los Angeles' at a Nebraska rally?

Our labels in this case measure each response against one disputed claim: that President Donald Trump's remark meant attacks by Iran on Los Angeles and San Diego would be an acceptable price for the war, as his critics read it. A response that asserts or endorses that reading is recorded as Condemned. A response that rejects that reading and offers another, including the White House explanation that Trump meant the war is stopping a nuclear-armed Iran from ever being able to attack the two cities, is recorded as Challenged the characterization. A response arguing that an attack on the cities would be acceptable would be recorded as Defended or excused; we have not found one as of October 6, 2026. A label records a speaker's stated position, not our finding on what Trump meant.

Trump held a midterm campaign rally at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on the evening of October 5, 2026. Right Side Broadcasting Network's video of the speech (opens in a new tab) runs about 82 minutes. About 12 minutes in, he said, in our transcription: "And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take, let it, let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That's, this is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over with very soon" (video at 12:20 (opens in a new tab)). The crowd cheered.

The passage does not mention nuclear weapons. In the two minutes before it, Trump talked about the midterm elections: the line of supporters outside the hall, his request that the crowd "pretend I'm on the ballot," his warning that tax cuts "could all be taken away if you start losing a couple of little elections," early voting, a line he attributed to former Vice President Kamala Harris, and his wish to "see a tremendous victory because it verifies all the things we did" (from 10:10 (opens in a new tab)). The word "it" in "it's just artificial" is not defined in the passage; earlier in the speech Trump had tied the war to oil and gas prices.

That earlier passage came about six to seven minutes before the remark, which begins at 12:25. Trump said the war with Iran would end soon and that "your prices are going to come tumbling," and added: "We're saving the world from what could be one of the worst tragedies ever. We're not going to let them have it, and they won't have it. That's decided. They will not have a nuclear weapon" (at 5:00 (opens in a new tab)). At 6:15 he said "We have to stop them from having a nuclear weapon" (video (opens in a new tab)) and then described passing an Iowa gas station selling gasoline at $1.95 a gallon. In the minute after the remark, he said the war was "essentially almost over with," that "they always say they have a big threshold for pain," and that the war would "end one way or the other," then mentioned gasoline and moved on to Venezuela and oil. He did not mention Los Angeles or San Diego again. About 13 minutes later, again discussing gasoline prices, he said, "And again, remember this. I stopped them from ever having," and then, "How about those B-2 bombers?" He did not name Iran or nuclear weapons in that passage (video at 25:11 (opens in a new tab)).

Published versions of the quotation differ. In the recording, Trump restarts twice before "Los Angeles" and says "That's, this is" before "a very small price to pay." CBS News Los Angeles (opens in a new tab) printed both restarts, "Let them take, let it, let them take out Los Angeles," and Agence France-Presse (opens in a new tab) printed one; CNN (opens in a new tab), NBC News (opens in a new tab) and ABC News (opens in a new tab) printed "Let them take out Los Angeles" once, and some outlets printed "Let 'em." The restarts do not change the words that follow. ABC News and CBS News Los Angeles described the remark as being about Iran developing a nuclear weapon, while The National News Desk (opens in a new tab) noted that Trump did not mention nuclear weapons in it. CBS News Los Angeles said it was not immediately clear what Trump meant, and the Los Angeles Times (opens in a new tab) said the comment was possibly in jest.

California Democrats responded within hours. Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote (opens in a new tab) that Trump "is now saying our foreign enemies should 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego" and called him "deranged and dangerous." His press office later wrote (opens in a new tab) that the president was "advocating for an attack" on more than 10 million residents, and after that his governor's account called (opens in a new tab) the remark "Disgusting and disqualifying." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote (opens in a new tab) that the president "suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles," and in a separate post (opens in a new tab) on another of her accounts wrote, "Keep LA out of your damn mouth." San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote (opens in a new tab) that his city "is not collateral damage." Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, Reps. Sara Jacobs and Scott Peters, the gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra and the Democratic National Committee also criticized the remark.

Jim Desmond, a Republican San Diego County supervisor running in California's 48th Congressional District, wrote (opens in a new tab) that he "vehemently" disagreed with the president's comments and that he had "served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war." His Democratic opponent, Marni von Wilpert, criticized both Trump and Desmond. Rep. Kevin Kiley, a former Republican running for reelection as an independent, told FOX40 (opens in a new tab) that there is "no evidence" Iran could strike a California city and that "such rhetoric is unhelpful." FOX40 reported that the California Republican Party declined to comment.

On the morning of October 6, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote (opens in a new tab) that the "media freakout" over the comments was "not rooted in reality" and that Trump "was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped." About half an hour later, the White House's Rapid Response 47 account, quoting the Los Angeles Times post of its story, wrote (opens in a new tab) "No, he didn't, you buffoons" and said Trump "was saying the U.S. is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon." In the speech, Trump spoke about stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon about six to seven minutes before the remark, at 5:00 and 6:15. He did not mention it in the passage itself, and he made the "I stopped them from ever having" remark about 13 minutes after it.

CNN (opens in a new tab) reports that Trump has repeatedly called high gas prices a small price to pay for the war, and that in Nebraska he appeared to contrast that with a far higher price, an attack on a U.S. city. Where officials stand on the war itself is tracked in a separate case (opens in a new tab).

As of the afternoon of October 6, 2026, we did not find a statement from Trump himself explaining the remark. Apart from Jim Desmond, a Republican San Diego County supervisor running for Congress, and Kiley, a former Republican running as an independent, we did not find an elected Republican who had addressed it as of October 6, 2026. The recording establishes what Trump said and what came before and after it. It does not establish what he meant.