White House says Trump did not urge Iran attacks on Los Angeles
The White House on Tuesday said President Donald Trump was not suggesting that Iran should attack American cities, after remarks he made at a rally in Nebraska triggered criticism. Communications Director Steven Cheung said Trump's comments had been misunderstood and misrepresented in a "media freakout" that was "not rooted in reality".
Trump had been speaking about the Iran war and the resulting rise in fuel prices, which the article said had become a midterm liability for Republicans. Referring to the war and its economic impact, he said, "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," before adding, "They can take out a city. Let 'em take out Los Angeles, let 'em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay."
The remarks, including the mention of Los Angeles and San Diego, came in the meandering style Trump often uses at campaign rallies, where he speaks for long stretches and only occasionally follows prepared remarks on a teleprompter. Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, sharply attacked the comments. Newsom called Trump "deranged and dangerous" for, in his words, "saying our foreign enemies should take out' Los Angeles and San Diego."
Responding on Tuesday, Cheung said it was obvious Trump was not calling for such an attack. "The media freakout over President Trump's comments is not rooted in reality," he said. "He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped. America is safer because of the President." Cheung also said Iran "has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."
At least one Republican also disagreed with Trump's remarks. Jim Desmond, the Republican congressional nominee in a metro San Diego district, wrote on social media, "As a Navy veteran, I served to protect Americans, not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war," and added that "no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage."
Trump has frequently criticised American cities on the campaign trail, especially large urban areas that strongly support Democrats. At a recent rally in North Carolina, he described the state's cities as "blood-soaked killing fields". The article noted that North Carolina's violent crime rate ranks in the middle third of states, according to FBI statistics. Iran has said it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, but it has enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade levels that have no civilian purpose. Overall, the exchange centred on Trump's rally remarks, the White House's defence of them, and the political response they drew.
