Von Wilpert calls Trump's remark 'appalling and terrifying'
Marni von WilpertDemocratic candidate for U.S. House in California's 48th District
Marni von Wilpert, the Democratic candidate in California's 48th Congressional District, wrote on X that Trump says an attack on Los Angeles and San Diego "would be 'a small price to pay'" for the war, called that "appalling and terrifying" and called the remark "an impeachable offense." She also criticized her Republican opponent, Jim Desmond, for supporting the 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."
“Donald Trump says Los Angeles and San Diego being attacked would be ‘a small price to pay’ for his reckless Iran war. That is appalling and terrifying.”
Original post
Reporting
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 Marni von Wilpert's congressional campaign. Von Wilpert is the Democratic candidate in California's 48th District.
Reporting
About this source
FOX 5 San Diego report on reactions from San Diego officials. It reports that Marni von Wilpert issued her statement in a news release and identifies Jim Desmond as a San Diego County supervisor.
Before the quotation
Von Wilpert posted later that evening. FOX 5 San Diego reported that she also issued the statement in a news release.
After the quotation
She goes on to call the remark "an impeachable offense by the Commander in Chief" and says it is indefensible that Desmond "continues to support Trump's war."
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. Von Wilpert states the critics' reading directly, that Trump called an attack on the two cities a small price to pay, and condemns it. The closest competing label is Challenged the characterization, but she adopts and criticizes that reading rather than disputing a description. Evidence: von Wilpert's own campaign 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
- Title
- Von Wilpert calls Trump's remark 'appalling and terrifying'
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/4887-marni-von-wilpert-the-democratic-candidate-in-california
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Von Wilpert calls Trump's remark 'appalling and terrifying'". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4887-marni-von-wilpert-the-democratic-candidate-in-california