FAREWELL, L.A. AND SAN DIEGO October 9, 2026
Want to go to Disneyland? Better do it now before it’s blown to smithereens—at least, in POTUS’ imagination.
The war with Iran continues. High oil costs raise gas and diesel prices, crimping the budgets of American individuals, families and businesses. (Ads do tariffs.) Donald Trump, who’s made billions during his second term, says in effect, “What? Me worry?”
Then again, he doesn’t live in Southern California.
To be sure, no one in America wants a nuclear Iran. But if that was the goal of the war, where are we now?
Trump started the war on February 28 without seeking the support of Congress and the American people. He promised freedom for the Iranian people. It never materialized. Israel and the U.S. killed many of Iran’s top leaders, but new, more far-right men replaced them. We destroyed much of Iran’s air force and navy. Still, Iran obstructs shipping in and out of the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping that flowed freely before the war.
Now, the Houthis, supported by Iran, have put a stranglehold on the Bab-al-Mandab through which shipping enters and exits the Red Sea. Oh, and we just sent home 12 seemingly endangered B-1 bombers from England.
If American strategy seems incoherent, it’s because Donald Trump is incoherent.
On an October 5 campaign stop, Trump doubled down on the war and oil prices. The New York Times quoted Trump: “It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. Let them take, let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego (italics mine). That’s — this is a very small price to pay…”
What Trump said about Los Angeles and San Diego created an uproar. The White House and Republican leaders responded that Trump’s words were taken out of context. But if you heard Trump, you know exactly what he said—and how he said it.
Context is critical. Not just the words, which you can read, but his tone of voice. An up inflection would be asking, “Should we let them take out…” The statement would be clear. Keep nukes out of Iran. Amen. Had Trump spoken in a soft, reflective voice, he might have been pondering the enormity of the challenge posed by a nuclear Iran. But that wasn’t it, either.
Trump in effect paused mid-thought and vocalized those words to wit, “LET them take out…” Listen for yourself. Granted, what you’ll hear is not a call for Iran to destroy Los Angeles and San Diego. Only in Trump’s dreams. Rather, Trump trumpeted total derision for these two blue Southern California cities. The President of the United States dismissed the lives of millions of Americans there—and elsewhere. Newsflash—radiation spreads.
Daniel Dale, CNN’s fact checker, stated in Trump’s defense that you have to understand “Trumpspeak” to assess what he said. My response: On a matter of such seriousness, shouldn’t the President of the United States be able to speak clearly, understandably and decently?
If not, the Vice President and cabinet have a duty to consider removing Trump via the 25th Amendment. Which they clearly will not do short of mushroom clouds rising along the Pacific.
My ultimate response to this latest Trump incoherence: God bless America! We need it.
For a great—and timely—read, order my new novel, THE DOUBLE, from amazon, barnesandnoble.com, iuniverse.com/bookstore—or at your favorite book store.
According to polls, a substantial number of the Republican Party still approves of Trump. His extreme bellicosity has only made a small dent. Perhaps his direct attack on San Diego and LA will cause the Southern Californian Republicans to change their minds and speak with kindness to their friends and neighbors out of state. The VP and cabinet may have a duty to consider employing the 25th amendment, but “consider” is a key word in that sentence.
To quote Martin Luther King: “We cannot drive out darkness with darkness…. we cannot drive out hate with hate…” Peace. Jean
Gene, hopefully enough Republicans, those not addicted to Trump, will vote for Democratic candidates and change some of what Washington is able to do. It is truly sad that we have a president as incompetent and deranged as Trump. It is equally sad, that’s so many Americans refuse to see the handwriting on the wall.
There was a (dumb) letter in the Chronicle this morning along the lines of “what he really meant…). You captured it correctly. His comment was not an invitation to Iran to bomb LA or San Diego. But it was a statement to his MAGA-rally crowd that West Coast cities aren’t really America — notwithstanding that San Diego is surrounded by military bases, including a major Navy port, and has a big population of retired Navy veterans. Sometimes, for all his lying, Trump actually tells you what’s in his tiny brain, and it’s not pretty. The fact that this was the biggest applause line in his speech is really disheartening.
The answer — other than invoking the 25th Amendment — is to vote, vote, vote and help others to register and vote.
Right you are, David.