Trump swats away female journalist after she asks him to explain ‘take out’ LA and San Diego comment

Trump swats away female journalist after she asks him to explain ‘take out’ LA and San Diego comment President refuses to explain rally line that incensed California lawmakers - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in President Donald Trump swatted away a question from a female reporter at the White House when she asked him to explain his comment about Iran “taking out” Los Angeles and San Diego. Addressing a rally crowd in Grand Island, Nebraska, Monday, the president had been discussing the Iran war driving up gas prices due to the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz, which he said was “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” He then continued: “They can take out a city – let ’em take, let ’em take out Los Angeles, let ’em take out San Diego. That’s – this is a very small price to pay.” The comments drew outrage, particularly from California Democrats including Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who accused the president of being “deranged and dangerous” and reminded him that American lives are not expendable. As he appeared on the White House lawn the following day, a female reporter called out to Trump: “Mr President, what did you mean by your comments yesterday about San Diego and Los Angeles possibly being wiped out by Iran?” He walked towards her as though he were about to answer before making a swatting gesture with his right hand and ignoring her. The identify of the reporter who asked the question is not clear. Trump also refused to engage with queries about his meaning at an earlier event for Gold Star Families in front of the presidential mansion, at which he appeared with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The official White House “Rapid Response” X account subsequently posted a clip of that moment with the comment: “Some whiny Fake News loser spent the entire press gaggle shouting at POTUS about the ‘take out Los Angeles and San Diego’ hoax – which is so obviously a lie, even CNN debunked it. These people are sick.” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also lashed out on X, reupping the original clip of Trump speaking in Nebraska with the caption: “The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. “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.” However, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who was part of the press gaggle, appeared on her network’s Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday evening and told the host journalists had “tried to ask the president to clarify those comments, or explain what he meant” on three separate occasions throughout the day and he had repeatedly refused to do so. “When you look at the transcript and the audio of what he said there, he obviously heard the questions,” Collins told Cooper, concluding that the president had simply “declined to answer them.” Trump has a long history of clashing with female members of the press, notably snapping “Quiet, piggy” at Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey last year and telling Weijia Jiang of CBS News she would be “incapable” of “acing” a cognitive test as he claimed he had just done. He has frequently sparred with Collins, urging her to smile more and calling her “stupid and nasty” on Truth Social. Among the California legislators taking exception to Trump’s rally line were Marni von Wilpert and Jim Desmond, congressional rivals at next month’s midterms, who found themselves in rare agreement on the president’s words. Von Wilpert, the Democratic candidate for the Golden State’s 48th congressional district suggested Trump’s remark was an impeachable offense while Desmond – her GOP rival, whom Trump endorsed – said he “vehemently” disagreed with the commander-in-chief. “Our job is to keep Americans safe, stand up to our enemies, and make sure a threat like that never becomes reality,” he said. “No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments