Trump Tells Nebraska Rally Iran Could 'Take Out' Los Angeles and San Diego, Calls It a 'Small Price to Pay'

President Trump told a crowd in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday that it would be a "small price to pay" if Iran struck Los Angeles or San Diego, remarks confirmed across multiple outlets including ABC News, the Los Angeles Times, Baptist News Global and the Daily Mirror.

"Remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high," Trump said, in what appeared to be a reference to elevated gas and diesel prices tied to the seven-month conflict with Iran. "It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. 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 crowd cheered, according to the Los Angeles Times and Baptist News Global.

The context Trump was addressing

Trump's comment came in the middle of a riff on fuel costs, not a direct threat assessment. He was arguing that current price pain, not the risk of attack, is the acceptable cost of the war effort. He immediately followed it by predicting gas prices would soon "come down very sharply," per the Daily Mirror's transcript of the speech. The line was rhetorical bluster about trade-offs, consistent with Trump's pattern of hyperbolic claims on the trail, rather than a literal policy position inviting attack on American soil.

The Los Angeles Times reported it is "unclear whether Trump's comments were based on any intelligence." Iran's ballistic missile program has a self-imposed range limit of 1,240 miles, well short of reaching California, according to the Associated Press. U.S. officials have separately alleged Iran's space program could eventually enable longer-range capability. In March, California law enforcement was warned of a possible surprise drone attack, but the Times reported sources found no credible intelligence behind it.

California officials react

Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X that Trump is "deranged and dangerous," linking the comment to the deployment of National Guard and Marine personnel in California. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote, "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." The Daily Beast noted San Diego is home to Navy carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Theodore Roosevelt, and that Los Angeles has one of the largest Iranian diaspora populations in the country. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.

The war backdrop

Trump's remarks landed amid an active U.S. military campaign against Iran, which Fox News reported is codenamed Operation Epic Fury. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said over the weekend that Trump is "hell-bent" on preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, warning Tehran it could happen "the easy way or the hard way." Trump told reporters Iran has been "decimated" and has "virtually given up" its nuclear ambitions.

The fighting has escalated through September, according to the Daily Wire. Iran shot down at least two U.S. MQ-1 drones, struck a U.S.-contracted vessel near the Strait of Hormuz injuring personnel aboard, and Iran-backed Houthi forces attacked Riyadh. Two Iranian U.N. delegation members were expelled from New York after failing to leave on a State Department order, Fox News reported, citing an Axios account.

The human and financial cost is mounting. The Daily Beast cited Pentagon casualty figures putting U.S. war wounded at 861 as of last week. Diesel hit $6.40 a gallon in September, up 73% year over year, according to the Daily Wire, while the Daily Beast put the national gas average at $4.37. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has predicted crude could fall to $40 a barrel once the war ends, telling reporters the market will be "very much oversupplied" afterward.

Why Nebraska, why now

The rally was part of what Trump has called a 32-day campaign blitz through red states, following stops in Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio, according to ABC News. Nebraska has a competitive Senate race: Ricketts, appointed and then elected in 2024, faces independent Dan Osborn, a union steamfitter, with no Democrat on the ballot after the Democratic primary winner withdrew, per ABC News. Ricketts has labeled Osborn a secret Democrat; Osborn says he won't caucus with either party.

According to News From The States, Trump used the Grand Island stop to sign an executive order waiving the off-road requirement for red-dyed diesel, allowing anyone to buy it, which he said should "assure" reelection for Ricketts and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Pillen also inducted Trump as an honorary "admiral" in the state's ceremonial Nebraska Navy.

Early in-person voting in Nebraska began Monday, the same day as the rally. Whether Trump's comment on Los Angeles and San Diego becomes a factor in that race, or in the broader midterm map, will depend on polling and early vote totals over the coming weeks.