California officials are ramping up security and threat monitoring measures after President Donald Trump suggested that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego while stumping in Nebraska on Monday.
While speaking about the importance of the midterm elections during his rally in Grand Island, the president said that a potential victory in November “verifies all the things we did,” including his war in Iran.
“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,” Trump said. “They can take out a city, let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom directed state intelligence officials Tuesday to shift focus toward real-time geopolitical intelligence. The California Democrat called Trump’s remarks “dangerous — if not treasonous” and said he is directing the state’s threat assessment center to “monitor the situation in the event that foreign actors interpret the President’s remarks as an invitation to target California.”
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Newsom told journalist Jim Acosta that he woke up Tuesday to a call from the head of the California’s Office of Emergency Services alerting him that the department had detected an uptick in concerning cybersecurity activity and threat intelligence.
“Our state operations center had to be lit up because of what the president said,” Newsom said. “And don’t think for a second our adversaries aren’t listening to that, and trying to manipulate it, and we’re seeing it again — real life consequences — the governor of the state of California having to open our state operations center because of the incoming [activity] we’re getting as it relates to cybersecurity.”
It is unclear whether Trump’s comments were based on legitimate intelligence, as Iran has never possessed the capability to stage a long-range ballistic missile attack on U.S. soil. But Democrats and some Republicans were quick to decry the statement as an invitation for Iran to attack cities in the country’s biggest blue state.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Trump’s move Monday encourages attacks on American lives.
“His statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety,” she said in a statement on X. “In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”
Jim Desmond, a Trump-backed California congressional candidate running to represent a military-heavy district of northern San Diego, said he “vehemently disagreed” with the president.
“No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage,” he said in a post on X.
Trump’s allies were quick to interpret the comments in a different context.
“The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said on X. “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.”
The analysts Newsom asked to turn to geopolitical intelligence will specifically scan for state-sponsored propaganda, foreign intelligence chatter and extremist communications from Iran or its proxies to see if Trump’s statements are being perceived as a strategic vulnerability or an “open invitation” to attack, according to the Office of Emergency Services.
“Cal OES and the State Threat Assessment Center remain vigilant for any potential threats to the state,” department officials said Tuesday. “While there are currently no confirmed threats, we will continue to coordinate with law enforcement partners to support public safety.”
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