President Donald Trump’s comments about the possibility of Iran being able to “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego have drawn reactions from California officials and renewed attention to the security of both cities.

During a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, Trump discussed the economic cost of the war with Iran and rising gas prices. In that context, he said it was a “small price to pay” to keep the country safe and later referred to the possibility of a city being attacked, specifically naming Los Angeles and San Diego.

The comments were interpreted by California officials as a concerning reference to the possibility of American cities being attacked. However, the White House later defended the president, saying Trump was referring to the threat posed by Iran having nuclear capabilities and the need to prevent Iran from being able to attack U.S. cities.

In San Diego, Mayor Todd Gloria responded that the city should not be considered collateral damage or an acceptable cost. Gloria also highlighted that San Diego is home to one of the nation’s largest concentrations of military facilities and that hundreds of thousands of people are directly connected to the military community.

“San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable,” Gloria wrote on social media, calling for the city to be excluded from what he described as reckless discussions about war.

 

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.

— San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (@MayorToddGloria) October 6, 2026

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass also criticized the comments, saying that such statements could affect the city’s security. Bass said the president’s responsibility is to protect the country and not create threats against American communities.

 

The President of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety. The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives. In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.

— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) October 6, 2026

The reaction also came from Republicans. Jim Desmond, a U.S. Navy veteran and San Diego County representative, disagreed with Trump and said that, as a member of the military, he served to protect Americans not to consider U.S. cities an acceptable cost of war.

At the national level, the U.S. Conference of Mayors said mayors from different political parties agree that the safety of American cities should not be negotiable and that no attack against a U.S. city should be presented as an acceptable price to pay.

For now, local officials’ responses have focused primarily on Trump’s comments and the need to protect residents. The sources reviewed have not reported a specific threat against San Diego or an extraordinary change in the city’s security measures.

San Diego also continues to play a strategic role in national defense because of its significant military presence, placing the region at the center of the discussion following the president’s remarks.

 

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