Washington DC - The White House pushed back Tuesday after Democrats called out President Donald Trump for suggesting Iran should "take out" the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.
Viral footage showed comments by Trump at a midterm elections rally in Nebraska on Monday, where he said high oil prices from the Iran war were justified by the need to stop Tehran from getting nuclear weapons.
"It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," Trump said.
"They can take out a city. Let them take, let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it's going to be over with very soon."
Democrats – who control the state of California – accused the president of encouraging Iran to hit the two urban centers, but the White House insisted Trump was talking about the threat posed by Iran, branding it a "media freakout" that was "not rooted in reality."
"He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped," White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on X.
The White House's Rapid Response account on X also took issue with a Los Angeles Times headline saying Trump had suggested "letting Iran 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diego."
"No, he didn't, you buffoons. He was saying the US is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon – which they would if they had the chance," it said.
Despite the White House's attempt to change the narrative, California Governor Gavin Newsom soon doubled down.
"Donald Trump's remarks were dangerous – if not treasonous – putting a target on two of our biggest cities and one of America's largest naval hubs," he wrote.
The governor has also requested that the State Threat Assessment Center assess any potential threats from adversaries who "interpret the President's remarks as an invitation to target California."