President Donald Trump was present at a Republican rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, on the evening of October 5, 2026, to campaign for Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.). At the rally, Trump made a comment with reference to the ongoing Iran War that has made the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego criticize his words.As CNN reports, at the rally, Trump said:“They could take out a city. Let ‘em take out Los Angeles. Let ‘em take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay and it’s going to be over very soon. It’s essentially almost over with."This statement has understandably not been taken well by the mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego. The governor of California's office has also expressed that the comments made by Trump are not just unpleasant but an advocacy for violence.Mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego respond to President Donald Trump's commentsPresident Donald Trump's statement is not being taken lightly because it essentially suggests that even if Iran attacks a city, for instance, Los Angeles or San Diego, it wouldn't be considered a big deal politically. His words further suggest that losing a city is a small price to pay to ensure America wins the war. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, responded to Donald Trump's comments on her X account, saying:“The President of the United States suggested that a foreign government attack Los Angeles. His statements against our city are dangerous and could potentially compromise our safety. The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives. In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”To Bass, the nature of Trump's comments thus feels like a betrayal given that the president is supposed to protect the entire country and not risk the safety of any city included in said country. The mayor of San Diego, Todd Gloria also responded to Donald Trump's comment on X. He said:“San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk."Moreover, the press office of the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has also responded to Trump's comments since both Los Angeles and San Diego are Californian cities. He said:“Let’s be clear: The President is advocating for an attack on 10+ million U.S. residents in two of America’s largest cities. This is not normal. None of this is. And we will continue to remind folks of that every day.”The state of California is thus standing with its cities. The statements from mayors of both cities strongly criticize Trump's comments. They both express the fact that if the federal government doesn't care for their cities' safety, they will do everything in their power to make sure their citizens are unharmed.More reactions to President Donald Trump's commentsPolitical commentator Harry Sisson also criticized Donald Trump's comments. In a video he recently posted on Instagram, Sisson pointed out San Diego and Los Angeles have a collective population of over 5 million. He went on to say that Trump's words suggest that the president is alright with putting the lives of that many people at risk. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostSisson also criticized the crowd at the rally because they clapped loudly at Trump's words. The political commentator believes that the crowd was okay with Trump's comments and clapped because it was cities with Democrat governments that he was putting at risk, not ones with Republican governments.If the Iran War does take a turn for the worse, President Donald Trump's words are unfortunately not going to age well.For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.