> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bushletter.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Trump calls attacks on California cities 'a small price to pay' - URL: https://www.bushletter.com/trump-calls-iran-attack-on-california-cities-small-price-to-pay/ - Published: 2026-10-07T02:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-10T06:41:29.000Z - Description: Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks 'deranged and dangerous', while San Diego's mayor said his city was 'not expendable' amid the US campaign against Iran. - Author: Bushletter Newsroom - Tags: Politics, US, Donald Trump, News TLDR Donald Trump told a Nebraska campaign rally that Iran could 'take out Los Angeles' and 'take out San Diego,' calling it 'a small price to pay.' California Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks 'deranged and dangerous,' while San Diego's mayor said his city was 'not expendable.' ## What Trump said in Grand Island At a midterm campaign rally at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on 5 October 2026, President Donald Trump turned to the ongoing US military campaign against Iran and made a calculation out loud.[\[1\]](https://events.gop.com/events/midterm-rally-in-grand-island-nebraska-president-donald-j-trump/?ref=bushletter.com) Trump told the crowd: "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay."[\[2\]](https://webflow.rev.com/transcripts/trump-rally-in-nebraska-on-10-05-26?ref=bushletter.com) The remarks came inside the broader context of Operation Epic Fury, the US military campaign Trump ordered in early 2026, encompassing air strikes, naval blockades and missile attacks against Iranian military targets. By July 2026 the White House said US naval forces held total control of the Strait of Hormuz, backed by Space Force intelligence and strike readiness.[\[5\]](https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/07/president-trump-on-fox-friends-americas-unrelenting-strength-keeps-maximum-pressure-on-iran/?ref=bushletter.com) ## California's reaction Sacramento and San Diego both responded within hours. Governor Gavin Newsom said: "After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego. He is deranged and dangerous."[\[3\]](https://t.co/N4JQfecAYo?ref=bushletter.com) San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said on 6 October 2026: "San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a 'small price to pay.' Keep our city out of your reckless war talk."[\[4\]](https://t.co/06z2qsEIMr?ref=bushletter.com) Gloria's city is home to one of the largest concentrations of US Navy and Marine Corps personnel in the world, a fact that gave his words an operational weight well beyond the political. Alex Padilla @SenAlexPadilla At least 19 servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice in Trump's unauthorized war with Iran, including Noah Tietjens of Nebraska. Now Trump is in Nebraska inviting an attack on U.S. soil, putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our servicemembers at risk… [2026-10-06 · View on X](https://t.co/bjX79gdn8x?ref=bushletter.com) ## The congressional dimension Senator Alex Padilla of California placed the remarks inside a running casualty count, saying at least 19 US servicemembers had made "the ultimate sacrifice" in what he called Trump's "unauthorised war with Iran" before the president took the stage in Nebraska. Padilla named Noah Tietjens of Nebraska among the dead.[\[6\]](https://t.co/bjX79gdn8x?ref=bushletter.com) Tietjens was from the very state Trump was trying to energise for the November midterms, a detail that cut through the rally setting. Sara Jacobs @RepSaraJacobs My constituents, including many active duty service members, veterans, and their families, are not acceptable collateral damage in Trump's stupid war. [2026-10-06 · View on X](https://t.co/wAMxUC7iam?ref=bushletter.com) Representative Sara Jacobs, whose San Diego district includes active-duty service members and their families, said her constituents were not acceptable collateral damage in Trump's conflict.[\[7\]](https://t.co/wAMxUC7iam?ref=bushletter.com) ## The federal-California fault line The intensity of the state's reaction draws on what came before. Trump's 2025 deployment of National Guard and Marine units into Los Angeles to enforce immigration law produced a sustained clash between the White House and California officials, who framed those actions as federal overreach into a state that had not requested assistance. Newsom's reference to occupation on 6 October was a deliberate callback to that episode.[\[3\]](https://t.co/N4JQfecAYo?ref=bushletter.com) The Grand Island rally was part of Trump's broader midterm campaign blitz, with control of the Senate and House on the line in November 2026.[\[1\]](https://events.gop.com/events/midterm-rally-in-grand-island-nebraska-president-donald-j-trump/?ref=bushletter.com) Nebraska was among the states targeted to lock in Republican turnout, and Trump's remarks blended foreign policy positioning with his standard rally cadence. Whether that calculation lands with voters in a landlocked Midwest state, while the cities he named sit more than 2,000 kilometres west, will become clearer when November results come in. KEY TAKEAWAYS 01Trump said Iranian attacks on Los Angeles and San Diego would be 'a small price to pay' for world safety. 02Governor Newsom described the rally remarks as 'deranged and dangerous' on 6 October 2026. 03San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city was 'not expendable' and demanded Trump drop the 'reckless war talk.' 04Senator Alex Padilla said at least 19 US servicemembers had died in Trump's Iran conflict before the rally. 05Federal-California tensions were already elevated after Trump sent National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles in 2025. SOURCES & CITATIONS 1. [Midterm Rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, GOP Events](https://events.gop.com/events/midterm-rally-in-grand-island-nebraska-president-donald-j-trump/?ref=bushletter.com) 2. [Trump Rally in Nebraska Transcript, 5 October 2026, Rev](https://webflow.rev.com/transcripts/trump-rally-in-nebraska-on-10-05-26?ref=bushletter.com) 3. [Governor Gavin Newsom on X, 6 October 2026](https://t.co/N4JQfecAYo?ref=bushletter.com) 4. [Mayor Todd Gloria on X, 6 October 2026](https://t.co/06z2qsEIMr?ref=bushletter.com) 5. [White House: America's Unrelenting Strength on Iran, July 2026](https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/07/president-trump-on-fox-friends-americas-unrelenting-strength-keeps-maximum-pressure-on-iran/?ref=bushletter.com) 6. [Senator Alex Padilla on X, 6 October 2026](https://t.co/bjX79gdn8x?ref=bushletter.com) 7. [Representative Sara Jacobs on X, 6 October 2026](https://t.co/wAMxUC7iam?ref=bushletter.com) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What exactly did Trump say about Los Angeles and San Diego? At a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska on 5 October 2026, Trump said: "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay" for keeping the world safe. Why are California officials so angry about Trump's Iran conflict? Beyond the rally remarks, federal-California tensions have been running high since Trump deployed National Guard and Marine units into Los Angeles in 2025 to enforce immigration law, an action California officials described as an occupation. Senator Padilla also cited at least 19 US servicemember deaths in the conflict. What is Operation Epic Fury? Operation Epic Fury is the name for the US military campaign Trump ordered in early 2026 against Iranian military targets, including air strikes, naval blockades and missile attacks. By July 2026 the White House said US naval forces controlled the Strait of Hormuz.