The Dispute Index

Nicole Russell

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. She writes about American politics and public policy and publishes The Right Track newsletter.

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What DI has documented

DI has documented statements by Nicole Russell on 2026 Midterm Elections, Iran War, and U.S. Politics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

Topics in this coverage

Statements by Nicole Russell

Nicole Russell

Role at the time: USA TODAY opinion columnist

Challenged the characterization

Statement summary

Russell calls Trump's wording clumsy and rambling but argues that the full passage concerned gasoline prices and preventing a nuclear threat.

“But to suggest Trump was goading Iran into attacking LA or San Diego is asinine.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)The media is losing it over Trump's 'take out' LA remark | OpinionOpinion column, sections on the full rally passage and media coverage
Why we used this label

Relative to the meaning of Trump's Nebraska remarks, Russell rejects the interpretation that he was encouraging Iran to attack the cities.

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

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.