US President Donald Trump suggested to a crowd of his supporters in Nebraska that Iran could "take out" a major American city such as Los Angeles or San Diego, drawing a swift rebuke from California's Democratic leaders and some fellow Republicans.
Trump made the remark at a campaign rally at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday. Discussing American wartime economic sacrifices, he said he was determined to "see a tremendous victory, because it verifies all the things we did."
The 'small price to pay' remark
"And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial, it's a little bit high, it's a small price to pay," Trump told the crowd, apparently referring to rising prices of fuel, fertilizer and other products attributed to energy market disruptions from the war with Iran, now in its eighth month.
The comment comes amid rising fuel prices blamed on the conflict, which have become a political risk for Trump's Republican Party ahead of November's midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake. Trump, whose approval rating has held at a record low amid concerns about the high cost of living, has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war.
California leaders hit back
California's Democratic leaders, along with some fellow Republicans, swiftly criticised the suggestion that Iranian retaliation could strike Los Angeles or San Diego — a claim that sits uneasily alongside the administration's public confidence that American forces have crippled Iran's military capabilities.
The backlash underscores how the war's domestic fallout — from gasoline and diesel prices to questions about what Iran can still do — is increasingly shaping American politics as the midterms approach.
Sources:
Californians blast Trump remark that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles, San Diego — The Japan Times
Trump says nobody knows who is running Iran — Reuters
Trump made the remark at a campaign rally at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday. Discussing American wartime economic sacrifices, he said he was determined to "see a tremendous victory, because it verifies all the things we did."
The 'small price to pay' remark
"And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial, it's a little bit high, it's a small price to pay," Trump told the crowd, apparently referring to rising prices of fuel, fertilizer and other products attributed to energy market disruptions from the war with Iran, now in its eighth month.
The comment comes amid rising fuel prices blamed on the conflict, which have become a political risk for Trump's Republican Party ahead of November's midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake. Trump, whose approval rating has held at a record low amid concerns about the high cost of living, has offered shifting timelines and goals for the war.
California leaders hit back
California's Democratic leaders, along with some fellow Republicans, swiftly criticised the suggestion that Iranian retaliation could strike Los Angeles or San Diego — a claim that sits uneasily alongside the administration's public confidence that American forces have crippled Iran's military capabilities.
The backlash underscores how the war's domestic fallout — from gasoline and diesel prices to questions about what Iran can still do — is increasingly shaping American politics as the midterms approach.
Sources:
Californians blast Trump remark that Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles, San Diego — The Japan Times
Trump says nobody knows who is running Iran — Reuters
