The White House has defended Donald Trump’s comments that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego, after the remarks sparked criticism from California political leaders.

California Governor Gavin Newsom described Trump’s comments as “deranged and dangerous”, while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accused the president of making threats and encouraging attacks on Americans.

According to BBC News, Trump made the remarks while speaking at a midterm election rally in Nebraska about the conflict with Iran. He said allowing Iran to “take out” the two cities was a “small price to pay” for keeping the United States (US) and the world safe.

Sections of the crowd cheered following the comments.

White House Communications Director Stephen Cheung said Trump was referring to the threat American cities would have faced if Iran had been allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

“He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” Cheung said in a post on X.

The White House’s rapid response account also rejected criticism of Trump’s remarks, saying he was referring to preventing Iran from having the ability to attack Los Angeles and San Diego with nuclear weapons.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the city should not be treated as “collateral damage” and called on Trump to keep it out of his “reckless war talk”.

Newsom also criticised the remarks, sharing a report on them and describing them as “disgusting and disqualifying”.

Both Los Angeles and San Diego have major US military installations. San Diego is home to Naval Base San Diego and Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, while the wider area includes Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Los Angeles is home to the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command headquarters and Los Angeles Air Force Base.

Trump and Newsom have clashed publicly on several occasions, including over the deployment of military personnel during protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles last year.

Newsom accused Trump of a “brazen abuse of power” over the deployment, while Trump has previously criticised the governor’s handling of the unrest.

Earlier this year, Trump also mocked Newsom’s dyslexia, drawing criticism from dyslexia charities.