U.S. President Donald Trump has repeated controversial remarks suggesting that major U.S. cities should be left to face attacks by Iran.

Speaking at a midterm election rally in San Antonio, Texas, on the 7th (local time), President Trump said, "We are making sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. I said the other day, just imagine if we let them (Iran) hit San Diego or Los Angeles with a missile."

He continued, "Just let them attack. Do you want to see something terrible? Just let them attack San Diego. Let them attack Los Angeles. Then you'll see bad things happen."

"Do you want to see the country go down the drain out of control?" Trump emphasized, "We are not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country."

Los Angeles and San Diego are the first and second most populated cities in California along the Pacific coast.

California is also a region with strong Democratic support.

President Trump's remarks are interpreted as an assertion that the war with Iran was justified and inevitable, and that without it, major U.S. cities like Los Angeles and San Diego could have been targeted by Iranian nuclear missiles.

Two days prior on the 5th, during a rally in Nebraska, President Trump also stated, "They could destroy a city. Let them destroy LA. Let them destroy San Diego."

While President Trump made these remarks while arguing that the rise in oil prices resulting from the war with Iran is a "small price to pay to keep the world safe, to keep our country safe," criticism has erupted centered around the affected regions and the Democratic Party, asking if it means it would not matter even if Iran destroyed LA and San Diego.

Particularly within the California political circle where the two cities are located, fierce reactions emerged, such as "President Trump is suffering from a mental illness" and "President Trump's duties must be suspended."

However, the White House countered, "President Trump was making it clear that American cities would have been threatened if Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons had not been stopped."

President Trump's rally on this day was held to support Republican Texas state Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

However, President Trump's speech was interrupted multiple times by protesters, and about 12 people were escorted out by police, according to the Associated Press.

Mocking the protesters, President Trump said, "They got paid. They're going back to their mom now. There's one thing that guy doesn't know, his mom voted for Trump."

According to AFP, some participants who jeered at President Trump wore shirts reading "SOS Cuba," which appeared to refer to Cuba, a nation under heavy U.S. sanctions.

Texas is considered a traditional Republican stronghold.

President Trump won Texas by a margin of about 14 percentage points during the 2024 presidential election.

However, with less than a month left before the November midterm elections, low approval ratings for President Trump have caused the Republican Party to struggle even in Texas.

As if demonstrating the weakened support for President Trump, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott was absent from the rally citing "a different schedule."

President Trump dedicated a significant portion of the rally to praising candidate Paxton, and Paxton also expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you so much for coming."

At the event, President Trump also voiced support for Roger Clemens (64), a legendary Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who had suffered from past "drug scandals."

After calling Clemens up to the stage, President Trump stated that he would award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, calling it "an honor one step higher than the Hall of Fame."

Clemens won a record seven Cy Young Awards in MLB, but was thoroughly shunned by the Hall of Fame writers' ballot due to his "drug scandal."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News) (Photo: Getty Images Korea)