Desmond says he 'vehemently' disagrees with Trump's comments
Jim DesmondSan Diego County supervisor and Republican candidate for U.S. House in California's 48th District
Jim Desmond, a Republican San Diego County supervisor running in California's 48th Congressional District, wrote on X that he "vehemently" disagreed with Trump's comments, that the commander in chief's first responsibility is to protect Americans, and that as a Navy veteran he "served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war."
Responding to
Trump accepts attacks on Los Angeles and San Diego as a cost of the Iran war: "if it means attacks on two major American cities in the process, he is not troubled by the cost."
“As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war.”
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
Post on the X account of Jim Desmond's congressional campaign. Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, is the Republican candidate in California's 48th District.
Before the quotation
The post opens: "I vehemently disagree with President Trump's comments. America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our Commander in Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland."
After the quotation
It continues: "No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage."
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. Desmond reads the remark as writing off American cities as an acceptable price of war and says he vehemently disagrees, which asserts and condemns the critics' reading. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he also says America must stand up to Iran; but that is support for the war's aims, not a defense of the remark. Evidence: Desmond's own campaign 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
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The Dispute Index. "Desmond says he 'vehemently' disagrees with Trump's comments". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4886-jim-desmond-a-republican-san-diego-county-supervisor