Donald Trump has said it would be a ‘small price to pay’ if Iran bombed US cities.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Nebraska, the US president spoke about the war in Iran as he tried to drum up support for Republican candidates in the upcoming mid-term elections.
Trump bizarrely claimed the war in Iran is ‘artificial’, arguing that it was required in order to ‘keep the world safe.’
“Let them take out a city,” he continued, before naming the Democrat-led cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, which he said would be a “small price to pay,” sparking applause and cheers from those in attendance.
Trump once again repeated his baseless claim that the war, which has lasted more than seven months, is ‘almost over.’
Even by Trump’s lofty standards, the comments were shocking and have prompted fury from many.
Journalist Jim Acosta wrote: “The crowd starts to applaud as Trump fantasizes about LA and San Diego being wiped out by a nuclear attack. WTF. This is not normal.”
Former First Lady of California Maria Shriver said Trump’s words should “outrage every American,” warning that “tomorrow it could be your city.”
She added: “My fellow Americans, this is not normal. This is not funny. This behavior should ring alarm bells for us all!”
Meanwhile, journalist and political commentator Mehdi Hasan said Trump should be impeached “on day one of a Democratic Congress.”
And San Diego Congresswoman Sara Jacobs wrote: “My constituents – including many active duty service members, veterans, and their families – are not acceptable collateral damage in Trump’s stupid war.”