Governor Gavin Newsom rebuked President Trump after he suggested at a campaign rally in Nebraska that he allow Iran to “occupy” Los Angeles and San Diego.
“That’s a small price to pay to keep the world safe, to keep our country safe,” Trump said. “They can destroy a city. Let them destroy Los Angeles. Let them destroy San Diego.”
Attendees cheered at his suggestion.
“After sending National Guardsmen and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump now says our foreign enemies should ‘occupy’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom wrote on
Not only is Los Angeles the second most populous city in the United States, it is also home to the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command, aerospace contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and federally funded research centers such as the RAND Corporation.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass wrote on X: “The president’s role is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives.”
San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States and is home to major military installations in and around it, including:
- San Diego Naval Base, homeport of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet
- Marine Corps Camp Pendleton, where 70,000 civilians and active duty military personnel live and work
- Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, the primary training site for SEALs on the West Coast
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote on “