Trump Draws Bipartisan Rebuke Over Los Angeles, San Diego Remarks as 52-Seat California Looms in Midterms
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Oct 6
Trump Draws Bipartisan Rebuke Over Los Angeles, San Diego Remarks as 52-Seat California Looms in Midterms
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Oct 6
Summary
Tuesday's backlash spread beyond Democrats after Trump told a Nebraska rally that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego as a "small price to pay" in the war's eighth month.
Gavin Newsom called the remarks "deranged" and dangerous, urging Congress to rein in Trump and tying the comments to their earlier clash over federal troop deployments to Los Angeles.
Republican House candidate Jim Desmond said no American city is expendable, while California lawmaker Kevin Kiley, who caucuses with Republicans, called Trump's comments "unhelpful."
The White House rejected the criticism as a "media freakout," saying Trump meant U.S. cities would have been threatened if Iran had not been stopped.
California's 52 House seats make the dispute politically potent ahead of November's midterms, with all 435 House seats and Republican control of Congress at stake.