Trump Avoids Questions on Comments About U.S. Cities

<figure><img alt="U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media on the South Lawn as he returns to the White House on October 06, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump traveled to Maryland to deliver remarks at the Tradepoint Atlantic industrial center in the Port of Baltimore." src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/BO23NGF3DJGOJNBB7TE3C7677Y.jpg?auth=8ec518a054dc1f998d68e019410255f9c0b88922027feeef7fe1faa0fa1d9afe&amp;smart=true&amp;width=3217&amp;height=1809" /><figcaption>Finn Gomez / Getty Images</figcaption></figure><p>President Donald Trump has repeatedly declined to answer questions regarding his comments about Los Angeles and San Diego. Trump, 80, was discussing his views on the ongoing conflict with Iran during a rally in Nebraska on October 3, 2026, which he stated has contributed to rising oil prices.</p><p>“Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial. It’s a little bit high,” Trump said, referring to oil prices. He added, “It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” and suggested that he would accept the destruction of the two U.S. cities, saying, “They can take out a city—let ’em take, let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. That’s—this is a very small price to pay.”</p><img alt="President Donald Trump was avoiding being asked about previous comments. / ALEX WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images" height="2992" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/GFICJKSH3FGB5G2GOEOWVBWIBQ.jpg?auth=06152edc012f8f25fe028f52144b586e4f46a4d6ccda4ec76c7de11aa1ec166a&amp;smart=true&amp;width=4492&amp;height=2992" width="4492" /><p>His comments prompted reactions, including from California Governor Gavin Newsom, who stated on social media, “Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego. He is deranged and dangerous.”</p><p>On October 4, 2026, a female journalist asked Trump at the White House to clarify his comments about the potential destruction of the cities. Trump responded with a hand gesture and did not answer the question.</p><img alt="Donald Trump gestures towards a reporter at the White House. / C-SPAN" height="1580" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/O6UZXRHMCRCSBML66ZHHYSXGEM.png?auth=c479cefd298987fda9f9754c97ebabea9af0a4da4975cde6e75b8893f98b9d8e&amp;smart=true&amp;width=2880&amp;height=1580" width="2880" /><p>Earlier that day, Trump also ignored reporters' questions about his previous comments. The White House has attempted to dismiss the situation as a “hoax.” The Rapid Response X account shared footage of Trump avoiding the reporter’s question, stating, “Some whiny Fake News loser spent the entire press gaggle shouting at @POTUS about the ‘take out Los Angeles and San Diego’ hoax — which is so obviously a lie, even CNN debunked it.”</p><p>On CNN’s <i>Anderson Cooper 360°</i>, reporter Kaitlan Collins mentioned that White House reporters had attempted to ask Trump to clarify his comments multiple times, noting that he “declined to answer them.”</p><p>When asked for a comment, White House Communications Director Stephen Cheung referred to an earlier post, claiming that the media's reaction to Trump’s comments was not based in reality and that Trump was indicating that U.S. cities would have been threatened if Iran had not been stopped.</p><img alt="Steven Cheung hits back at the media" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/CKVDQAT3KBHTLARNX7SHWHKIBM.png?auth=8841ce06cbe2ec09eb57cffd310c995144399059b66aa44368d4d22dc0dd4036&amp;smart=true&amp;width=1214&amp;height=1182" /><p>Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her disapproval of Trump’s comments, stating she was “horrified” and criticized the White House's response, emphasizing that the comments were heard by the world and were on tape.</p>