Trump says he will not let Iran strike L.A. or San Diego: ‘Not going to let that occur’

WASHINGTON — President Trump informed a crowd in Texas on Wednesday night time that he wouldn’t enable Iran to assault San Diego or Los Angeles, a remark that got here two days after he made off-the-cuff remarks suggesting the West Coast cities could be struck.

“You need to see a horror present? You need to see issues? Let them hit San Diego, allow them to hit Los Angeles,” Trump said at a rally. He then assured the group: “We aren’t going to let that occur. We defend our cities. We defend our nation.”

The San Antonio crowd cheered the remarks.

Trump’s determination to return to the topic capped two days during which the White House had been on the defensive, and it appeared geared toward tamping down the fallout from remarks he made Monday night time that shortly unfold on-line.

Speaking to a crowd in Nebraska, Trump had stated: “They can take out a metropolis, allow them to take out Los Angeles, allow them to take out San Diego. This is a really small worth to pay.”

The feedback drew swift condemnation from California leaders, even because the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, insisted the president’s remarks had been taken out of context.

“The media freakout over President Trump’s feedback isn’t rooted in actuality,” Cheung wrote Tuesday. “He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer due to the president. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air pressure, and no cash.”

But the remarks have been sufficient to rattle many in California and drew backlash from the state’s leaders, together with Republican Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran operating in a extremely aggressive U.S. House race.

“I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s feedback,” Desmond wrote on social media. “America should stand as much as Iran and defend our pursuits, however the first accountability of our Commander in Chief is to guard the American folks and our homeland.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday opened the state emergency operations heart to evaluate potential threats following Trump’s remarks. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass additionally condemned the president for probably compromising the protection of their cities.

“San Diego isn’t collateral injury,” Gloria posted on social media. “We aren’t expendable. And we’re by no means a ‘small worth to pay.’ Keep our metropolis out of your reckless warfare discuss.”