During a campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday, President Trump made remarks suggesting Iran could attack two major U.S. cities. When discussing the economic costs of the conflict with Iran, Trump stated that the higher prices represented “a small price to pay” for national security, then added that Iran could “take out Los Angeles” and “take out San Diego.” The crowd at the event applauded the comments.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has previously engaged in disputes with Trump, responded sharply through his press office. Newsom characterized the president’s statements as advocacy for attacks on more than 10 million residents in two of America’s largest cities, describing the remarks as “not normal” and calling Trump “deranged and dangerous.”
The comments emerge during a period of significant political pressure for the administration. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released shows Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 32%, marking a record low. The survey indicates the president has lost support among independent voters and Latino voters, demographic groups that had backed Trump in 2024. The timing is notable with midterm elections scheduled for November that will determine control of Congress.
In a separate development, Trump announced Monday that he would begin paying for political advertisements from his political organization, Maga Inc, rather than using taxpayer funds. The move follows repeated criticism over taxpayer-funded campaign advertising. However, Trump provided no specifics regarding how taxpayers would be reimbursed for advertisements that had already aired or the mechanism through which his political organization would handle future advertising costs.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI