When a President Says an American City Can Be Taken Out, America Must Pay Attention

 

When a President Says an American City Can Be Taken Out, America Must Pay Attention

President Donald Trump made a statement that should anger every American. At his October 5 rally in Nebraska, while talking about Iran and the cost of the war, Trump said: “They can take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles. Let ’em take out San Diego.”

These are American cities filled with millions of American citizens. How can the President of the United States use the words “Let ’em take out” when talking about any part of his own country?

The White House says Trump's statement has been misunderstood and that he was explaining what Iran might be capable of doing if it obtained nuclear weapons. I find that explanation very difficult to accept. Trump did not say, “We must protect Los Angeles and San Diego.” He said, “Let ’em take out Los Angeles. Let ’em take out San Diego.”

Trump has spent years attacking California's political leadership, while immigration and aggressive enforcement have been central to his politics. Los Angeles and San Diego are also among America's most diverse cities, with large Latino communities. That does not prove exactly what Trump intended, but after years of rhetoric that has divided Americans over immigration, race, politics, and who belongs in this country, his choice of these two cities cannot simply be brushed aside.

A president does not represent only the states that voted for him. He is not the president only of Republicans or MAGA supporters. He is the President of the United States of America. California is America. Los Angeles is America. San Diego is America. The people living there deserve exactly the same protection as Americans living in Texas, Florida, Nebraska, Minnesota, or anywhere else.

Trump's statement may not rise to the constitutional definition of treason. But if any sitting president can speak as though allowing part of his own nation to be destroyed is acceptable, what should Americans do, and how should they judge the political leaders who continue to stand behind him?

This is where the Republican Party must answer some serious questions. Every Republican candidate running for Congress should be asked directly: Do you believe it is acceptable for the President of the United States to say, “Let ’em take out Los Angeles. Let ’em take out San Diego”?

Do not change the subject to Biden or Democrats. Answer the question. If you believe Trump was misunderstood, explain what he meant. If you believe his words were wrong, say so. If you believe they were acceptable, tell the American people that too.

Imagine a Democratic president saying, “Let them take out Dallas. Let them take out Houston.” Republicans would be furious, and they would have every right to be. The standard cannot change simply because the president belongs to your political party.

Our enemies do not see red states and blue states. A missile does not ask whether someone voted Republican or Democrat. An attack on Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Minneapolis, or Omaha is an attack on the United States of America.

That is why Americans should remember these words when politicians come asking for their votes. Ask Republican candidates whether they believe every American city deserves the same protection. Ask whether there is any point at which loyalty to their country becomes more important than loyalty to Donald Trump. Then listen carefully to their answers.

Today Trump named Los Angeles and San Diego. Tomorrow another president could speak this way about Texas, Florida, Minnesota, or New York. Once we accept the idea that some Americans matter less because of where they live or how they vote, there is no safe state left in America.

Trump's statement may not legally constitute treason, but Americans should still ask a very simple question: What kind of president speaks this way about cities in his own country, and what should we think about political leaders who hear those words and continue to stand behind him?

This should not be about Republican America or Democratic America. Los Angeles and San Diego are American cities, and no President of the United States should ever make Americans wonder whether their lives matter less because they live on the wrong side of his political map.