Newsom says Trump is telling foreign enemies to 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego
Gavin NewsomGovernor of California
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X that after sending the National Guard and Marines to California, Trump "is now saying our foreign enemies should 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego," and added, "He is deranged and dangerous."
Responding to
Trump was saying that foreign enemies of the United States should "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego.
“After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
What did Trump mean when he said 'Let them take out Los Angeles' at a Nebraska rally?
At a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on October 5, 2026, President Donald Trump called the costs of the Iran war "a small price to pay for keeping the world safe" and said, "They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego." The passage followed remarks about the midterm elections and did not mention nuclear weapons; Trump had said earlier in the speech that Iran will not have one. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego and other critics said Trump was inviting attacks on the two cities or treating them as an acceptable price for the war. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said Trump was stating that U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran had not been stopped. The dispute is over what Trump meant.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's post on his personal X account, quoting a clip of the rally remark posted by the commentator Acyn.
Before the quotation
Newsom posted about two hours after the remark, quoting a 34-second clip of it posted by the commentator Acyn.
After the quotation
His post ends: "He is deranged and dangerous." Newsom's official governor's account later called the remark "Disgusting and disqualifying."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether Trump's remark meant Iranian attacks on Los Angeles and San Diego would be an acceptable price for the war, as critics read it, rather than that the war prevents a nuclear Iran from being able to attack them, as the White House says. Newsom reads the remark as Trump saying foreign enemies should attack the two cities and calls him dangerous, which asserts and condemns the critics' reading. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, but Newsom does more than dispute a description: he states what he says Trump meant and criticizes it. Evidence: Newsom's own post on X.
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More from this case
Read the full caseDemocratic National Committee calls the remark 'disgusting and dangerous'
Democratic National Committee
“Disgusting and dangerous. End the war and hold him accountable.”Read statement
Todd Gloria says no American city should be "an acceptable price to pay" and asks Trump to retract the remark
“No American city, regardless of its politics or geography, should ever be described as expendable or an acceptable price to pay.”Read statement
White House Rapid Response account says Trump meant stopping a nuclear Iran
Rapid Response 47
“He 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”Read statement
Cite this record
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- The Dispute Index
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- Newsom says Trump is telling foreign enemies to 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4878-california-gov-gavin-newsom-wrote-on-x-that
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Newsom says Trump is telling foreign enemies to 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4878-california-gov-gavin-newsom-wrote-on-x-that