Trump Says Iran Taking Out California Cities Is ‘Small Price’

President Donald Trump spoke Oct. 5, 2026, at a Pinnacle Bank Expo Center rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, for Sen. Pete Ricketts. Discussing the Iran war that began Feb. 28, he said: "They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego." He added: "This is a very small price to pay and it's gonna be over with very soon." A wire summary said the crowd applauded. Early voting began in California that day. Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump "deranged and dangerous" on X. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote: "We are not expendable. And we are never a 'small price to pay.'" Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond, running for Congress, said as a Navy veteran he would not "write off American cities as an acceptable price of war" and that "no American city is expendable." Councilmember Marni von Wilpert called the remarks "appalling and terrifying." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera also condemned them. Steven Cheung said the comments were misread and described the threat a nuclear Iran would have posed; the White House Rapid Response account replied "No, he didn't, you buffoons" to a Los Angeles Times article. AP-NORC found nearly 70% say the war is not worth fighting. Whether Trump cited specific intelligence remains unclear; reports note limits on Iran's ballistic missile range.