California Democrats demand Trump apology for rally remarks

California Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday demanded President Trump apologize for remarks he made at a campaign rally suggesting Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego.

“As members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, we call on President Trump to apologize to the over 16 million Americans who live in the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas and all Americans who expect more out of our President,” the delegation, chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), said in a joint statement .

Lofgren was joined by the state’s 40 House members and Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) in responding to Trump’s comment earlier this week in Grand Island, Neb.

“Upon taking office, the president swears to uphold the Constitution and to protect us from our enemies,” the delegation wrote. “Yesterday, President Trump, while defending his unconstitutional war against Iran, appeared, incredibly to invite Iran to destroy two American cities.”

The Golden State lawmakers also reiterated what the president said verbatim: “Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego.” He added it was “a very small price to pay, and it’s [the conflict] going to be over with very soon,” defending the economic fallout from the Iran war.

Trump’s words also inflamed California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who called the rhetoric “deranged and dangerous,” later adding that the comments were “dangerous –– if not treasonous” for suggesting the cities could be attacked.

The governor, who is weighing a 2028 presidential run , previously told The Hill that Trump is “mentally ill” and called for invoking the 25th Amendment. He also directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for potential threats to both cities, noting that San Diego is home to one of the country’s largest U.S. Navy hubs.

The White House defended Trump’s remarks , with communications director Steven Cheung calling critics’ reaction a “media freakout.” The White House Rapid Response account on social platform X called the Los Angeles Times “buffoons” over its reporting on the comments, while White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called Newsom “the worst governor in America, and he may also be the dumbest.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday that the remarks “horrified” her when Trump “basically said it’s OK, that it’s a small price to pay to attack 3.8 million people in the nation’s largest city.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria (D) urged the president to “keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”

“This is reckless, dangerous, and unhinged. Four million Angelenos are not bargaining chips,” Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, who is seeking to replace Bass as mayor, wrote Tuesday in a post online .

California Republican House candidate Jim Desmond said he disagreed “vehemently” with the comments, emphasizing that Trump must “not write off American cities as an acceptable price of war.”

Desmond was the vice chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and former mayor of San Marcos, part of San Diego County.