Donald Trump implied that Iran could 'wipe out' Los Angeles and San Diego, drawing condemnation across the political spectrum. The comment was made on Monday evening to an enthusiastic crowd at a rally in Nebraska.
Residents of Los Angeles and San Diego woke up on Tuesday to another sweltering day in the midst of a record heatwave, with many encountering Trump's comments on social media. Jessica, a 28-year-old hairdresser from Los Angeles, was scrolling through social media early in the morning when she saw the president's comment about Iran and her home city. She declined to give her full name, fearing for the safety of her Mexican-born parents. 'I was wondering what the hell was going on with him,' she said. 'He hates us. He hates LA. He hates every [democratic] state... It's just a sad situation.'
Governor Gavin Newsom described the comments as 'dangerous – if not treasonous – placing a target on two of our largest cities and one of the largest [military] hubs in the United States.' Californians see in these words a sign of the president's obsession with dismantling progressive values and diversity. The National Guard was deployed in Los Angeles during a series of ICE raids in 2025.
Jens Midthun, a downtown resident who often visits Grand Central Market for coffee, said, 'Trump was trying to portray Los Angeles as a dystopia, when it is actually a beautiful place.' Midthun is the president of the downtown Los Angeles district council, but was speaking as an individual. 'It reminded me that the president is obsessed with us – obsessed with California, obsessed with Los Angeles,' he said. 'We try not to think about him, but yet, here he is, with the name Los Angeles on his lips.'
San Diego is home to approximately 250,000 veterans and has one of the highest concentrations of military personnel in the United States. Gil Field, director of communications for the San Diego Veterans for Peace group, which opposes war, said, 'His comment was so irrational that it is hard to explain what he was actually saying, but it sounded as if he were willing to sacrifice us.' He added, 'It is terrible and we are appalled.'
The military supports nearly 357,000 local jobs in the region, representing $35.7 billion of the San Diego county economy, according to a report published last year. Spending on defence accounts for 22 per cent of San Diego's gross regional product. The San Diego area is home to numerous naval bases and marine corps stations, with one in four active-duty marines stationed in San Diego. Field said, 'This is a military town, so you have bipartisan objections to his comments.' He noted that there is always concern that San Diego could be a target in a war due to the large military presence. 'So to say that about San Diego, it is especially disturbing. He did San Diego a disservice,' he said.
Jim Desmond, a Republican naval veteran running for a congressional seat in San Diego, wrote on X: 'I served to protect Americans, not to write off American cities as an acceptable cost of war. Our job is to keep Americans safe, to confront enemies and ensure that such a threat never becomes reality.' He added, 'No American city is expendable and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.'
Midthen sees Los Angeles as an economic powerhouse and a vibrant cultural hub located between the beach and the mountains. The city is enriched by diasporas from all over the world – South Korea, Mexico, El Salvador, Armenia, and even Iran. 'The president is always talking about us, and talking about us,' he said. 'There are many problems to be solved. He should be working on those problems instead of obsessing over the beautiful people of Los Angeles.'
