Republican lawmakers also joined Democrats in questioning President Donald Trump’s statements regarding Los Angeles and San Diego, California.
Much of the backlash occurred Tuesday, a day after President Trump said at a midterm rally in Nebraska that sacrifices would have to be made to win the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
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He hinted that these costs could include the destruction of American cities in the event of an Iranian attack.
“It’s a small price to pay to keep the world safe and to keep our country safe,” Trump said, apparently referring to the ripple effects of war, such as soaring prices for fuel and fertilizer.
“They can destroy cities. Let them destroy Los Angeles. Let them destroy San Diego. This is a very small price and it will be over soon.”
President Trump has downplayed the impact of the war, which has entered its eighth month, even though polls show the conflict is widely unpopular in the United States. He also repeatedly promised that the war would end soon, although so far no permanent ceasefire has been reached.
The impact of his remarks in Nebraska was rapid. Gavin Newsom, an outspoken critic of Trump and the Democratic governor of California, said the president is “crazy.”
“This is more than just insanity. It’s dangerous,” Newsom said in a video on Social Media X, calling on Congress to rein in President Trump’s actions.
Newsom, a front-runner in the 2028 presidential election, has repeatedly clashed with Trump.
The two sides clashed last year over President Trump’s decision to send federal troops to California as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration in the Los Angeles area.
In December, a federal judge ruled that the deployment was illegal and ordered it halted. Mr. Newsom, who opposed the deployment, referenced the conflict in his remarks about Mr. Trump’s rally in Nebraska.
“The president of the United States, the president who sent the National Guard to Los Angeles and sent 700 active-duty Marines to America’s second-largest city, just invited Iran to take control of Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom said.
He added that President Trump’s comments should persuade people who “didn’t think the November election mattered” to vote in the upcoming midterm elections.
Some in Trump’s own party also expressed shock at his comments.
Jim Desmond, a Republican running for Congress near San Diego, was among those who distanced himself from Trump’s statement.
“I strongly disagree with President Trump’s comments. America must stand up to Iran and protect our interests, but the first responsibility of our commander in chief is to protect the American people and our homeland,” Desmond wrote to X.
“No American city is expendable, and no American family should be treated as collateral damage.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans and is seeking re-election in Northern California, also called Trump’s comments “unhelpful.”
But the White House dismissed criticism of the remarks, calling them part of a “media frenzy” that has “no basis in reality”.
“He was clear that American cities would be threatened if Iran’s nuclear program was not stopped,” White House communications director Stephen Chan said on social media.
“America is safer because of the president. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, no money.”
California has the largest population and economy of any state in the United States. Due to its large population, it also has the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives, at 52.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for grabs in November’s midterm elections. Major state and local elections are also on the ballot.
With Republican control of Congress at stake, the outcome of the midterm elections is expected to weigh heavily on the final two years of President Trump’s second term.
