'Media freakout' — White House aide says Trump did not call for Iranian attacks on US cities

The White House has sought to clarify US President Donald Trump's comments at a rally, explaining that he was not insinuating that he wanted Iran to attack American cities, but instead wanted to prevent Tehran from acquiring that capability.White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on social media on Tuesday that the president's comments at a Monday night rally have been misunderstood and misrepresented in a "media freakout" that is "not rooted in reality."Trump was discussing the war on Iran and the resulting high gas prices during his remarks in Nebraska when he mentioned the possibility of an Iranian attack on US soil."It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe," he said of the war and its economic fallout. "They can take out a city.

Let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego.

This is a very small price to pay."The commentary, including Trump's casual mention of the two California cities, was delivered in the familiar meandering style that he uses at campaign rallies, when he speaks for extended periods — often an hour or more — and is only occasionally following prepared remarks on a teleprompter.Critics, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, seized on his statements.The governor, a Democrat who could run for president in 2028, called Trump "deranged and dangerous" for, in Newsom's framing, "saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego.""The nuclear annihilation of an American city is no laughing matter," Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader in the US House of Representatives, said on X.Cheung, in his response on Tuesday, said it was obvious that Trump was not calling for such an attack."The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality," he said. "He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped.

America is safer because of the President."Cheung added that Iran "has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money."The White House's Rapid Response account on X 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.Trump has often criticised US cities as he campaigns, especially the largest areas that lean heavily Democratic.At a recent North Carolina rally, he described the state's cities as "blood-soaked killing fields." North Carolina's violent crime rate ranks in the middle third of states, according to FBI statistics.Iran has said that it’s not pursuing nuclear weapons, but has enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade levels that have no civilian purpose.US joined Israel in attacking Iran on February 28, with strikes quickly killing the longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and much of the other top brass as well as hundreds of civilians.But Iran quickly hit back by exerting control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passageway through which one-fifth of global oil once sailed, and it has rained missiles and drones on US-allied Gulf Arab monarchies, shattering the oil-rich countries' hard-earned reputation for stability.