Trump states he will prevent Iran from attacking U.S. cities

WASHINGTON — President Trump addressed a crowd in Texas on Wednesday night, stating that he would not allow Iran to attack San Diego or Los Angeles. This comment followed remarks made two days earlier in which he suggested that the West Coast cities could be targeted. "You want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles," Trump said at the rally. He assured the crowd, "We are not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country." The audience in San Antonio responded with cheers. Trump's reiteration of the topic came after the White House had faced criticism for his earlier comments made in Nebraska, where he said, "They can take out a city, let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay." These remarks drew condemnation from California leaders, prompting White House communications director Steven Cheung to assert that the president's comments had been misinterpreted. "The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality," Cheung stated. "He 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." Despite this defense, the comments unsettled many in California, including Republican Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran running for a U.S. House seat, who expressed his disagreement with Trump’s statements on social media. "America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our Commander in Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland," Desmond wrote. In response to Trump's remarks, Governor Gavin Newsom opened the state emergency operations center to evaluate potential threats. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also criticized the president for potentially jeopardizing the safety of their cities. "San Diego is not collateral damage," Gloria posted. "We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk."