Bass says president’s role is to protect country, not threaten it
Governor Gavin Newsom escalated his public dispute with President Donald Trump on October 6, 2026, calling remarks Trump made at a midterms rally in Nebraska “disgusting and disqualifying” and separately describing the president as “deranged and dangerous.” Newsom made the “disgusting and disqualifying” remark in a post on his official governor of California X account, where he shared a Los Angeles Times article about the rally comments.
At the Nebraska rally, Trump said that Iran “taking out” Los Angeles or San Diego would be “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe,” according to BBC News. He made the remarks while speaking about higher gas prices resulting from the US-Israel war with Iran, which he described as almost over. Sections of the rally audience cheered as he discussed the two cities.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the remarks crossed a line of presidential conduct. “The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives,” Bass said. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote on X that the city was not collateral damage and demanded Trump keep it out of his “reckless war talk.” Trump has not yet responded to the California leaders’ comments.
The exchange is the latest in a series of public clashes between Trump and Newsom, who may run for president in 2028. Trump and Newsom met in January when the president visited California after wildfires hit the state. Last year Trump described Newsom as incompetent, saying the governor had failed to adequately respond after some Los Angeles anti-immigration enforcement protests turned violent. Newsom accused Trump of a “brazen abuse of power” after military personnel were deployed to secure federal buildings during those protests. Earlier this year, Trump mocked Newsom’s dyslexia, saying presidents should not have learning disabilities, a remark that drew criticism from dyslexia charities.
Los Angeles and San Diego are the largest cities in southern California and house major US military installations. San Diego, located 17 miles (27km) from the border with Mexico, is the eighth largest city in the United States. It is home to Naval Base San Diego, the home port of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, the main training centre for Navy SEALs on the West Coast. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where 70,000 service members and civilians work, is also located in San Diego.
Los Angeles, approximately 120 miles (193km) north of San Diego, is the second most populous city in the United States. It is home to the space system command headquarters of the US Space Force, as well as the Los Angeles Air Force Base.