By The Editorial Board
There are some sentences that should never sound casual coming from the president of the United States, especially when they involve missiles, American cities and millions of lives.
President Donald Trump spoke about the war with Iran and rising oil prices at a rally on Oct. 5 in Grand Island, Nebraska. During his speech, Trump told his supporters that higher prices were a “small price to pay” for keeping the world and the country safe. He then went on to say that Iran could “take out a city,” naming Los Angeles and San Diego.
The White House later pushed back against the criticism received from this comment, saying Trump was warning about the danger of a nuclear Iran and was not encouraging an attack. Trump brought the comment up again at his rally in San Antonio Wednesday, repeating the imagery while in an effort to potentially clarify it.
“You want to see trauma and problems?” Trump said. “I said the other day, let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles. You want to see a horror show and problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles … we’re not letting that happen.”
If you harp on the final line, it should tie the problem up with a bow — Trump said he wouldn’t allow an attack to happen. But don’t treat this as a conclusion, not when the president of the U.S. invoked the idea of missiles hitting American cities to serve a political purpose. And then, when Trump defended himself in San Antonio, he used the same imagery
It should go without saying, but the U.S. president should not have to clarify whether he believes two American cities are an acceptable cost of war.
California, especially Los Angeles and San Diego, has consistently been used as a symbol for liberal politics by Trump and many of his supporters. Los Angeles, with a population of about 3.87 million, voted 64.8% for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and San Diego, with approximately 1.4 million people, voted 56.9% for Harris.
Beyond what the polls say, these cities add up to over 5,250,000 people Trump said could go away for the sake of political success. These are ordinary people who do not deserve to hear their president speak about them as lives unworthy of protecting.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the remarks, writing, “Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities. This is not normal. None of this is. And we will continue to remind folks of that every day,” according to The Guardian.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also issued a rather nonpartisan statement, writing that “No American city, regardless of its politics or geography, should ever be described as expendable or an acceptable price to pay.”
He also said that San Diego is home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of military assets.
“A President does not get to decide which American communities are worth protecting,” Gloria said. “His duty is to all of us.”
That idea, that someone in power should not see people as expendable, is the center of this issue. Whether you bleed red or blue or something in between, the president should not make any American feel disposable.
The president’s job may seem to be merely penning a bill or shaking hands with some foreign leader, but beyond policy, it is a job of language. Presidents speak during wars, disasters, national tragedies and moments of uncertainty. Their words can remind people they belong to one another, or they can teach them to see fellow citizens as enemies, burdens or applause lines.
Often, Trump’s supporters say his critics take him too literally. While there may be some truth to that, people have every right and responsibility to take their president seriously. It is reckless to be OK with the most powerful person in the country, the leader of the free world, consistently requiring an explanation for his words.
Trump understands this and plays on it. He knows how to craft the sentence and soundbite that will dominate the news cycle. He knows that every criticism can be used as proof that the media, Democrats or political elites are overreacting.
But a nation cannot be led by someone addicted to reactions. After years of watching former President Joe Biden struggle to say enough, Americans now watch a president who says too much. But silence and spectacle are not the only choices.
We have a responsibility in this. We have to be careful what rhetoric we buy into, especially when its purpose is shock. Discern whether outrage is an accident or the attention product being sold.
