特朗普总统周三晚在德克萨斯州的一场集会上告诉人群，他不会允许伊朗袭击圣地亚哥或洛杉矶。此番言论是在两天前他即兴发表评论、暗示西海岸城市可能遭袭之后作出的。“你们想看恐怖秀吗？想看麻烦吗？让他们打击圣地亚哥，让他们打击洛杉矶，”特朗普在中期选举集会上说道。随后他向人群保证：“我们不会让那种事发生。我们保护我们的城市。我们保护我们的国家。”圣安东尼奥的观众对这番言论欢呼雀跃。
President Trump told a crowd in Texas on Wednesday night that he would not allow Iran to attack San Diego or Los Angeles, a comment that came two days after he made off-the-cuff remarks suggesting the West Coast cities could be struck. "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 a midterm rally. He then assured the crowd: "We are not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country." The San Antonio crowd cheered the remarks.
特朗普决定重提这一话题，结束了白宫处于守势的两天，这似乎旨在平息他在周一晚发表的言论迅速在网络传播所引发的后续影响。在内布拉斯加州的一个集会上，特朗普曾说：“他们可以摧毁一座城市，让他们摧毁洛杉矶，让他们摧毁圣地亚哥。这是要付出的非常小的代价。”
Trump's decision to return to the subject capped two days in which the White House had been on the defensive, and it appeared aimed at tamping down the fallout from remarks he made on Monday night that quickly spread online. Speaking to a crowd in Nebraska, Trump has 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.”
这些言论迅速招致加州领导人的谴责，尽管白宫通讯主任史蒂文·张坚称总统的言论被断章取义。“媒体对特朗普总统言论的大惊小怪并非基于现实，”张周二写道。“他清楚地表明，如果没有遏制拥核伊朗，美国城市本将受到威胁。因为总统，美国更安全了。伊朗没有核武器、没有海军、没有空军、也没有钱。”
The comments drew swift condemnation from California leaders, even as the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, insisted the president's remarks had been taken out of context. “The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality," Cheung wrote Tuesday. "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.”
但这些言论足以让许多加州人感到不安，并引来该州领导人的抨击，其中包括共和党人吉姆·德斯蒙德，他是一名海军老兵，正在参加一场竞争激烈的美国众议院竞选。“我强烈不同意特朗普总统的言论，”德斯蒙德在社交媒体上写道。“美国必须对抗伊朗、捍卫我们的利益，但我们的总司令的首要责任是保护美国人民和我们的家园。”
But the remarks were enough to rattle many California, and drew backlash from the state's leaders, including Republican Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran running in a highly competitive U.S. House race. “I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments,” Desmond wrote 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.”
州长加文·纽森周二开启州紧急行动中心，以评估特朗普言论后的潜在威胁。圣地亚哥市长托德·格洛里亚和洛杉矶市长凯伦·巴斯也谴责总统可能危及其城市的安全。“圣地亚哥不是附带损害，”格洛里亚在社交媒体上发文。“我们不是可牺牲的。我们也绝不是‘微不足道的代价’。别把我们的城市卷入你鲁莽的战争言论中。”
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday opened the state emergency operations center to assess potential threats following Trump's remarks. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the president for potentially compromising the safety of their cities. “San Diego is not collateral damage,” Gloria posted on social media. “We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”