House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Tuesday that the nuclear annihilation of an American city “is no laughing matter,” weighing in on a firestorm over President Donald Trump’s remark at a Nebraska rally that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego. The statement landed amid a seven-month war that Jeffries has repeatedly called a “reckless war of choice,” and as a fight over what the president meant spread from California to the White House.
What Jeffries Said
Jeffries posted the message on X at 6:29 AM on October 6, 2026. The post, in its entirety, reads:
“The nuclear annihilation of an American city is no laughing matter.”
The post did not name the president, the rally or the two cities. It came hours after Trump’s remarks and as California officials condemned them, and it added the House Democratic leader to the list of prominent critics.
The Remarks That Set Off the Backlash
Speaking Monday night at a Republican political rally in Nebraska, Trump sought to justify the Iran war as necessary for “keeping the world safe.” He then suggested there could be strikes on the United States, including on the Democratic-led California cities.
“They could take out a city,” he said. “Let them take — Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
Trump also described the war as “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” Sections of the audience cheered as the two cities were named. It was not immediately clear what Trump meant. He also said the war was “going to end very soon” but gave no details on how.
California Leaders Respond
Gov. Gavin Newsom called the president “deranged and dangerous.” “After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom wrote on social media. On Tuesday he went further, calling the remarks “dangerous – if not treasonous.” He said he had directed California’s State Threat Assessment Center to “monitor the situation in the event that foreign actors interpret the remarks as an invitation” to target the state.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote that his city was not “collateral damage” and not “expendable,” adding: “Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the comments were “dangerous” and could “potentially compromise” the city’s safety. “The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” she wrote.
Republican Pushback in a Competitive District
The remarks also complicated a House race in the region. Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor endorsed by Trump in California’s 48th Congressional District, said he “vehemently” disagreed with the president. “No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage,” he wrote. His Democratic opponent, San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, called it “indefensible” that Desmond “continues to support Trump’s war and continues to be backed and funded by a President who jokes about the 1.4 million people in San Diego being ‘taken out’ by a foreign adversary.”
The White House Defense
The White House rejected the criticism. Communications Director Stephen Cheung called the “media freakout” “not rooted in reality,” writing on X: “He was clearly stating US 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.”
The White House rapid response account added: “He was saying the US is fighting to STOP Iran from having the ability to take out LA and San Diego with a nuclear weapon — which they would if they had the chance.” Trump had not responded directly to California’s leaders as of Tuesday morning.
Why the Two Cities Matter
Both cities host significant U.S. military infrastructure. San Diego is home to Naval Base San Diego, the home port of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. It also hosts Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, the main West Coast training center for Navy SEALs. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where about 70,000 service members and civilians work, is also in the area. Los Angeles hosts the headquarters of U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and Los Angeles Air Force Base.
Jeffries’ Record on the War
Jeffries has opposed the war since its first day. In a statement on February 28, 2026, he wrote that Trump “failed to seek Congressional authorization prior to striking Iran” and that the decision “to abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military attack has left American troops vulnerable to Iran’s retaliatory actions.” He also challenged the justification: “If Iran’s nuclear program was ‘completely and totally obliterated’ by the military strikes in June 2025, as Donald Trump boldly proclaimed, there should be no need to strike them now.”
The same statement said Iran “is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies.”
“A Permanent End”
On April 7, when Trump announced a two-week ceasefire, Jeffries said on CNN that “a two-week ceasefire is insufficient. We need a permanent end to Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice.” He said House Democrats had demanded that Speaker Mike Johnson reconvene the House to move a War Powers Resolution.
“No Plan, Any Objective, Any Exit Strategy”
Jeffries pressed the case on the House floor on April 16, during debate on the War Powers Resolution. He called the conflict a “reckless and costly war” that “was entered into without any plan, any objective, any exit strategy, any public support and any approval of the United States Congress.” He said it was costing taxpayers “billions of dollars a day” while Republicans were “ripping healthcare away from the American people.”
The Cost in Lives and Dollars
On June 24, Jeffries responded to the administration’s request for more than $70 billion in additional war funding. He said Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “plunged America into Operation Epic Failure with no objective, strategy or support.” He said the war had “led to the deaths of 13 servicemembers, engulfed the entire region in conflict and skyrocketed the already high cost of living at home.” He added: “The Trump administration cannot be trusted with another dime connected to the war.”
Trump’s Earlier “Small Price to Pay” Language
This week’s “small price to pay” phrasing echoes earlier statements. In March, as gas prices climbed after the war began, Trump called elevated oil prices a “small price to pay” for “Safety and Peace” in a social media post. He also said at the time that he had no concern about the higher prices.
Where the War Stands
The White House has said that preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon was a central justification for the war launched on February 28. Last week, Trump rejected Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal, which would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz and restarted talks on its nuclear program in exchange for U.S. concessions. Newsom, who may run for president in 2028, has repeatedly clashed with Trump, including over the deployment of military personnel during Los Angeles immigration protests last year.
For a full record of Jeffries’ statements and appearances on the war, see his official press release archive: