San Antonio, Texas - President Donald Trump has doubled down on his controversial comments about Iran attacking cities in Democrat-run California.

On Thursday night, Trump gave a speech at a rally in Texas in support of Senate candidate Ken Paxton, during which he again painted a picture of California facing such attacks.

"You want to see trauma? You want to see problems? And I said it the other day – let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. You want to see a horror show? Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles," Trump said.

"You want to see some bad things happen? You want to see a country in free fall? We're not going to let that happen," he added.

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The remarks come after he made similar ones at a rally in Nebraska on Monday night, which drew heavy backlash as he appeared to call on Iran to "take out" the two cities.

The White House quickly attempted damage control, downplaying the outrage as a "media freakout," and insisted the president simply meant that "US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn't been stopped."

Trump's comments also come ahead of the November midterm elections, where Republicans will fight desperately to maintain their majorities in the House and Senate.

In an X post, California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote, "Trump thinks he will scare people into voting for MAGA candidates by threatening the bombing of over 16 million Americans," adding, "He has lost his mind."