President Donald Trump was accused of being ‘treasonous’ by California Governor Gavin Newsom over the Republican's remarks about Los Angeles and San Diego. Trump brought up the cities when speaking in Nebraska, ahead of the midterms.
The president when speaking about the war in Iran, said ‘let them take out Los Angeles and San Diego’. The comment sparked massive backlash online from both sides of the political spectrum.
What Gavin Newsom said about Trump's remarks
Newsom was quick to react calling it ‘deranged and dangerous’ from his personal profile. However, the governor later used his official profile to issue a sterner statement in the aftermath.
“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 on X.
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“I am directing the State Threat Assessment Center to actively monitor the situation in the event that foreign actors interpret the President’s remarks as an invitation to target California,” Newsom added.
{{/usCountry}}“I am directing the State Threat Assessment Center to actively monitor the situation in the event that foreign actors interpret the President’s remarks as an invitation to target California,” Newsom added.
{{/usCountry}}In a video message, Newsom also wondered where Congress was while Trump was making these remarks. “This is dangerous. The time to stand up is NOW,” the Democrat who's often locked horns with the president, further said.
Trump's remarks have also put the populations of Los Angeles and San Diego in focus. LA has a population of 3,863,148, as per World Population Review. San Diego, meanwhile, has a population of 1,410,522, as per 2026 estimates. Both of these cities are the seats of their respective counties.
Lawmakers demand Trump's apology
California Congressional Democrats also issued a statement after Trump's remarks and demanded an apology from the president. 43 Members of Congress from California signed the statement.
“Upon taking office, the President swears to uphold the Constitution and to protect us from our enemies. Yesterday, President Trump, while defending his unconstitutional war against Iran, appeared, incredibly, to invite Iran to destroy two American cities. His exact words were 'Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out 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 statement read.
The White House meanwhile defended Trump's remarks, with Communications Director Steven Cheung describing the criticism as a “media freakout” that is “not rooted in reality.”
He said Trump “was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”