The President of the United States is calling for Iran to attack Los Angeles and San Diego.

Posted by The Kuhner Report, Oct 7, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictMixed

Sources: 3 contradict6 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

The Kuhner ReportOct 7, 2026

Trump's words were accurately quoted ('Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego' at the Oct. 5 Nebraska rally), but the record splits on what he meant.

The host disputes this claim. Our verdict is not a clear true or false, so it is shown here, not scored.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… They lied about the adverse effects of the jab. I could go on, but I think what they're doing now is even worse than what they did with the Russia collusion hoax and what they did with COVID, because what they are now doing is they are now telling they're blatantly lying to the American people, deliberately frightening and terrorizing the American people into believing that the president of the United States is openly calling for Iran to incinerate, to do a Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on Los Angeles and San Diego, and that he wants millions of his own citizens to be wiped off the face of the earth. Now, enough is enough. Enough is enough. As I said on X, it is time to bring back the Smith-Munt Act. …

The Kuhner Report · Oct 7, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. FactCheck.org concludes that the more plausible reading is that Trump meant the war would prevent Iran from threatening US cities, not that he was calling for an attack, and says that is not its reading of the comments.[1]

Contradicts. AP and the White House say Trump did not call for attacks on US cities, that his remarks were misrepresented, and that he meant Iran must be stopped from acquiring that capability.[2][3]

Supports. Multiple outlets (BBC, ABC, KABC, NBC, LA Times) report Trump saying 'Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego' and 'This is a very small price to pay,' so the literal quote is confirmed.[1][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Supports. Trump's later remarks in San Antonio on Oct. 7 were 'Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles' as a warning, followed by 'We are not going to let that happen,' which cuts both ways on his intent.[5][6][9]

Context. Snopes rated the attribution of the quote 'Correct' but noted the context is disputed, so the dispute is over meaning rather than what was said.[3]

Sources

9 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 1 tier 1, 1 tier 2, 4 not rated

1The Context for Trump's 'Take Out' Los Angeles, San Diego ...factcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, supports
2Trump did not call for attacks on US cities but explained ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
3Did Trump say of Iran, 'Let 'em take out' LA and San Diego?snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
4White House defends Trump comment to let Iran 'take out' ...bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: supports
5Trump says 'we protect our cities' after saying Iran could ' ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
6Trump says he won't let Iran strike L.A. or San Diegolatimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
7Trump suggests letting Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego at campaign eventabc13.com · not rated · cited for: supports
8Trump suggests letting Iran 'take out' Los Angeles and San Diegoabc7.com · not rated · cited for: supports
9Trump Claims Iran Could 'Take Out' L.A. or San Diego, But ...people.com · not rated · cited for: supports

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

The Kuhner Report · Oct 7, 2026Post →

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