California officials denounced President Donald Trump for saying at a campaign rally in Nebraska on Monday that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles or San Diego, calling his remarks “deranged” and “irresponsible.” In an apparent reference to the effect of the Iran war on U.S. prices, Trump said, “Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial. It’s a little bit high. 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 out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego,” Trump said, drawing cheers from the crowd.California and the state’s leaders are a frequent target of Trump’s ire, particularly Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is widely viewed as potential 2028 presidential contender. In his comments at the rally, Trump appeared to be making light of the potential for Iran to attack major American cities. In response to the backlash, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a post on X that the controversy “is not rooted in reality.”“He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” Cheung said. “America is safer because of the President. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”State and local officials rebuked the president over his comments.“After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Newsom said in a post to X. “He is deranged and dangerous.”The mayors of Los Angeles and San Diego also quickly responded to the president’s remarks. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, wrote on X that Trump’s “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,” Bass wrote. “In the face of irresponsible threats, as Angelenos, we know how to stand together and protect our city.”San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, also a Democrat, said in a post to X that his city “is not collateral damage.” “We are not expendable,” Gloria added. “And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”In his remarks, Trump also said the war would be over “very soon,” something he has suggested dozens of times over the past several months. The president has argued that the war was necessary to ensure Iran could not develop a nuclear weapon. California’s Democratic senators also condemned the president’s comments. In a post on X, Sen. Alex Padilla accused Trump of “inviting an attack on U.S. soil, putting millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of our servicemembers at risk while trying to get Americans to cheer for an attack on our own country.”“What kind of Commander in Chief does that?” Padilla added.Sen. Adam Schiff hit back at Trump’s remark that the war would end soon.“How many times have we heard that promise?” Schiff wrote on X. “And if it means attacks on two major American cities in the process, he is not troubled by the cost.”California is considered a solidly blue state and its voters supported Trump’s Democratic opponents in all three presidential elections.