Padilla says Trump is 'inviting an attack on U.S. soil'
Alex PadillaU.S. senator from California
Sen. Alex Padilla wrote on X that at least 19 service members, including Noah Tietjens of Nebraska, have died in the war, and that Trump was in Nebraska "inviting an attack on U.S. soil" while trying to get Americans to cheer for it. "What kind of Commander in Chief does that?" he asked.
Responding to
Trump was saying that foreign enemies of the United States should "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego.
“Now Trump is in Nebraska inviting an attack on U.S. soil, putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our servicemembers at risk while trying to get Americans to cheer for an attack on our own country.”
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
Sen. Alex Padilla's post on his Senate X account, quoting a clip of the rally remark.
Before the quotation
Padilla's post, quoting a video clip of the rally remark, begins by saying at least 19 service members have died in the war, including Noah Tietjens of Nebraska.
After the quotation
It ends: "What kind of Commander in Chief does that?"
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. Padilla reads the remark as inviting an attack on the United States and criticizes Trump for it, which asserts and condemns the critics' reading. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, but Padilla states his own reading and condemns the conduct. Evidence: Padilla's own post on X.
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- Donald Trump
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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- Padilla says Trump is 'inviting an attack on U.S. soil'
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4881-sen-alex-padilla-wrote-on-x-that-at
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Padilla says Trump is 'inviting an attack on U.S. soil'". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4881-sen-alex-padilla-wrote-on-x-that-at